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Athlete Rožle Prezelj was elected the first athlete rights ombudsman at the regular annual assembly of the Slovenian Olympic Committee.
Prezelj is the Slovene record holder for high-jump and he performed three times at the Olympic Games (he was 12th Beijing 2008, 20th Athens 2004 and 25th London 2012), he also finished the Law Faculty in Ljubljana.
"I am honored that athletes have chosen me as their ombudsman. I have been dealing with issues like these for a long time. At the International Athletics Association, I became a member of the Athlete Commission, representing the rights of athletes. The function of the athlete rights ombudsman is autonomous and independent and it is just starting its development around the world, so we will first have to establish the legal framework. At the same time the education of athletes is very important. My function isn’t to act as a lawyer, but primarily to advise and help with the opportunities and rights of athletes, so that they can be mainly focused on training and competitions, " the most important points of the function as summarized by Prezelj.
"So far, I have encountered numerous instances of violations of rights or situations in which we were looking for ways to get the things that belong to us. I was often exposed and found myself in negative circumstances, when I tried to solve various problems. Taking into account the challenges that I have faced, I am convinced that I will be better able to handle the new function with everything that comes with it," explained Prezelj.
The Athlete Rights Ombudsman is still not a widespread function on the global scale. "I think that only the US Olympic Committee has known this function for some time, but I am convinced that it will become a regular thing in world sport. The rules in sports are very complex and athletes do not even know about all the rights they have. In addition to being a member of the IAAF Commission, I am also a member of the Athletics Association of Slovenia, so I am aware of all the difficulties. As I pointed out, I see the function as autonomous and, above all, I see it as a way to help the athletes. One violation of an athlete's rights can disable their further sports career or mark the athlete for the rest of his/her life, "Prezelj said.
The Ombudsman is available for all questions at varuh@olympic.si and 051 388 361.
Prezelj is the Slovene record holder for high-jump and he performed three times at the Olympic Games (he was 12th Beijing 2008, 20th Athens 2004 and 25th London 2012), he also finished the Law Faculty in Ljubljana.
"I am honored that athletes have chosen me as their ombudsman. I have been dealing with issues like these for a long time. At the International Athletics Association, I became a member of the Athlete Commission, representing the rights of athletes. The function of the athlete rights ombudsman is autonomous and independent and it is just starting its development around the world, so we will first have to establish the legal framework. At the same time the education of athletes is very important. My function isn’t to act as a lawyer, but primarily to advise and help with the opportunities and rights of athletes, so that they can be mainly focused on training and competitions, " the most important points of the function as summarized by Prezelj.
"So far, I have encountered numerous instances of violations of rights or situations in which we were looking for ways to get the things that belong to us. I was often exposed and found myself in negative circumstances, when I tried to solve various problems. Taking into account the challenges that I have faced, I am convinced that I will be better able to handle the new function with everything that comes with it," explained Prezelj.
The Athlete Rights Ombudsman is still not a widespread function on the global scale. "I think that only the US Olympic Committee has known this function for some time, but I am convinced that it will become a regular thing in world sport. The rules in sports are very complex and athletes do not even know about all the rights they have. In addition to being a member of the IAAF Commission, I am also a member of the Athletics Association of Slovenia, so I am aware of all the difficulties. As I pointed out, I see the function as autonomous and, above all, I see it as a way to help the athletes. One violation of an athlete's rights can disable their further sports career or mark the athlete for the rest of his/her life, "Prezelj said.
The Ombudsman is available for all questions at varuh@olympic.si and 051 388 361.
