SOCIAL PROTECTION OF ATHLETES IN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SPORT: THE ROLE OF SPORTS FEDERATIONS IN ENSURING ORGANIZATIONAL AND LEGAL MECHANISMS

Abstract

The professionalisation and commercialisation of modern sport intensify the risks of injury, psychological exhaustion, contractual instability, and athletes’ legal vulnerability, necessitating the development of a comprehensive system of social protection. Existing regulation remains fragmented due to the coexistence of public law norms and the internal rules of sports organisations, as well as the uneven institutional capacity of sports federations to ensure standards, monitor their implementation, and provide access to effective legal protection. Materials and methods. The aim of this study is to examine the role of sports federations as institutional integrators of athletes’ social protection within the framework of sustainable sport development and to develop organisational and legal mechanisms for its implementation. The methodology combines a systems approach, doctrinal legal analysis, comparative legal analysis, and legal modelling to construct a multi-level governance architecture. Results. Athletes’ social protection is defined as a comprehensive set of legal, organisational, financial, and medical-psychological guarantees, covering labour and quasi-labour relations, insurance and compensation, medical support, mental health, safeguarding, protection of minors, maternity and paternity support, dual careers, integrity mechanisms, independent dispute resolution, and personal data protection. An organisational-legal model of “state – sports federation – club/organiser” is proposed, featuring a clear allocation of competences, coordination and control mechanisms, compliance tools, and independent complaint-review procedures. A system of process-based monitoring indicators is developed, with the potential to evolve into performance indicators. Conclusions. The findings indicate that sports federations perform a key integrative function in aligning social policies and transforming public law requirements into replicable practices. The proposed model has practical significance for improving governance efficiency, decision predictability, accountability, and trust in sport institutions. It may also serve as a methodological basis for developing internal federation regulations, standard contracts, insurance programmes, safe-environment policies, and monitoring procedures. Further research should focus on testing the proposed model and validating the indicators across different sport contexts.