In September, four new interns started to work with the team of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF). Over the next months, Guilherme Campos de Moraes, Julien Castello, Marina Khamitsevich and Annie Rydén will support the Foundation with general case management, compliance, athlete engagement, research into specific topics, and communication.
GEF Director Mr McLin said about the recent additions to the team:
“It’s great to have four new members on the team. Whilst all of them have university degrees in law with either an international or a sports focus and they add ‘horsepower’ in key areas, they also bring different cultural perspectives and fresh views which is always very valuable.”
For the interns, the Foundation provides an important opportunity to apply their legal know-how in a field which is of utmost importance to athletes and receives increased attention across all sports and countries.
Guilherme Campos de Moraes explains:
“I am really excited to join this highly qualified GEF team. Besides learning from and collaborating with them, there is an ongoing trend of setting up sport-specific independent units to manage threats to the integrity of sports. It is the sports organisations recognising their duty of care. Being a part of this development at an international level is what motivates me the most.”
“I joined the GEF because I'm genuinely passionate about their mission”, said fellow intern Annie Rydén. “Gymnasts - like any other athletes - deserve a safe environment to operate in. I also believe that sport has the inherent power to bring about positive change in society, but in order for it to do so there must be good governance and a culture where those involved are not afraid to speak up if something is wrong.”
Julien Castello shared about his motivation:
“I follow all sports news and inform myself daily on the legal issues surrounding the practice of sports. These are the reasons why I want to gain professional experience in sports law – it’s a field I would like to specialise in. Through the Foundation’s mission and work, I want to help ensure that all athletes in gymnastics, from the youngest to the oldest, can practice their respective disciplines in a safe environment and be the best versions of themselves.”
“I cannot think of a greater way than sport to make humans better …and of a better philosophy in life than that of fair play”, explained Marina Khamitsevich. “At the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation, I intend to explore the best practices in responding to rule violations and handling misconduct of all kinds. Doing that, I will look for opportunities to employ, wherever possible, a dialogue-centred, rather than an adversarial approach to resolving disputes and restoring justice.”
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