In October, I flew to Finland to take part in the 2025 Play the Game sports integrity conference in Tampere as a speaker. Having freshly graduated from my master’s in Sports Ethics & Integrity, it was an ideal opportunity to present my research findings. I previously spoke at their 2023 conference in Trondheim as part of a panel on sexual violence in sport and how to support survivors. I gave that presentation from the perspective of an athlete, survivor and activist, and I recall finishing it by highlighting the importance of empirical research investigating the issue of sexual violence in Muay Thai, noting that I hoped to one day present my very own findings to a similar audience. This year, I returned to do exactly that, having completed the world’s first study on the topic.
Play the Game is a sports conference unlike any other, bringing together academics, journalists, athletes, human rights defenders and professionals to foster open discussion on inequalities and injustices in sport. This year’s keynote speakers included Caster Semenya, who spoke about her fight for the right to compete without altering her body; and Maggie Nichols, the first survivor at USA Gymnastics to report Larry Nassar’s abuse, and whose story was depicted in Netflix documentary Athlete A.
My presentation was part of a panel titled ‘From Africa to Asia: Cases of Abuse and How to Handle it’ on the second day of the four-day conference. I discussed the findings of my research on women’s experiences of sexual harassment and abuse in Muay Thai, which involved conducting trauma-informed interviews with athletes as well as an analysis of safeguarding policies from federations.
After presentations from fellow panelists on safeguarding children in Kenyan sport (by PhD candidate Mercy Muriithi), a sexual abuse case in Malian Basketball athletes (by Ahmar Abdoulaye Maiga), and navigating power and policy in safe sport (by PhD candidate Kadija Richards), we held a panel discussion and Q&A, fielding insightful questions from attendees.
While the panel was not recorded, many other sessions from the conference are available to watch online, including sessions on the rise of abuse in sport on the global agenda, whistleblowing for athletes’ human rights, the importance of survivor voices in sport reform, and many other important topics.
Play the Game provides a unique opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders and changemakers in sport, and it was a pleasure to be given this platform to discuss my research. Highlighting sexual violence in Muay Thai is part of Under the Ropes’ mission to raise awareness and advocate for systemic and cultural change to create safer spaces for athletes. The next step in this process is to seek academic publication so that the findings may be shared on a broader scale. To keep informed of the latest updates, subscribe below.
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