Online Workshop: Sharing Your Story With Journalists
When people impacted by abuse in sport choose to speak up, they often do so in the hope of preventing future harm, seeking justice, and supporting their healing journey.
However, this process is rarely straightforward. Speaking out is only one step in processing trauma, and it often comes with significant emotional and social consequences. Many impacted people face retraumatization, cyberbullying, stigma, and even defamation – whether in public commentary and responses to their stories or even in the process of being interviewed itself.
To help equip athletes and other impacted people who want to speak out, the Athletes Network for Safer Sports is hosting an online conversation with journalists from The Guardian and CBC Sports who have extensive experience interviewing survivors and documenting cases of abuse in sports. This workshop will cover what to consider and how to prepare before sharing your story publicly. The goal is to support impacted people to make informed decisions and maintain as much control as possible over how their stories are publicly shared with the media.
Date: Wednesday 24 September, 2025
Time: 09:00 New York // 10:00 São Paulo // 15:00 Zurich
Event format: This 75-minute interactive online session will be held on Zoom. If possible and available to you, try logging in from a laptop and make sure your Zoom app is up to date before connecting.
Interpretation will be provided in Portuguese and Spanish.
Panelists:
- Shireen Ahmed: (she/her) Canadian sports journalist, public speaker and CBC Sports Senior Contributor. An award-winning activist and expert on Muslim women in sports- Shireen co-hosts the feminist “Burn It All Down” podcast, teaches Journalism & Sport Media at Toronto Metropolitan University, and advocates at the intersection of race and gender in sport.
- Suzy Wrack: (she/her) British women’s football writer at The Guardian, renowned in sports media and writing, author of A Woman’s Game (2022) and Strong Women (2023), and co-author of You Have the Power with England captain Leah Williamson. Award-winning journalist since 2017.
Moderator: Rachel Causey (she/her), communications coordinator at the Sport & Rights Alliance. Rachel leads the communications strategy, media relations and advocacy content. Rachel has over 10 years experience in marketing agency and non-profit communications and is passionate about the power of language and ethical storytelling.
Registration:
** Please note the Registration Form will close 24 hours before the event. **
