The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee has launched an initiative aimed at representing athletes and defending them against sexual harassment, discrimination, psychological or physical abuse.

Based on the structure of the initiated idea, the professional law partnership IUSTUM will firstly analyses previous cases of such violations and will then submit proposals regarding the administrative and organizational measures for preventing athletes’ rights violations.

The legal practitioners will provide the athletes belonging to the federations that are members of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee with free legal consultations on the enforcement of their rights or seeking compensation for harm arising from sexual harassment, discrimination, psychological or physical abuse.

“I believe that this initiative will not only ensure actual assistance for athletes but also serve as a deterrent against potential violation of their rights,” said Laimonas Pivoras, partner at IUSTUM.

“Witnessing the recent developments in sports, we have made a decision to launch an initiative to address these sensitive issues in sports. We encourage athletes to not hesitate to seek help in defending their rights and we assure them that in all cases their confidentiality will be strictly protected,” said the LNOC President Daina Gudzinevičiūtė.

The scope of the law services provided covers everything from consultations to providing help in collecting evidence. These services include preparation of claims for damages, preparation of complaints to the Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson and petitions for starting pre-trial investigations, as well as representing athletes in courts and law enforcement institutions.

All the information provided by an athlete and obtained by a lawyer on behalf of the athlete will be protected as the lawyer’s professional secret, and all the relevant expenses will be covered by the IOC. For all inquiries, athletes may email to laimonas.pivoras@iustum.lt.