Children and youth

Australian

• National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030, opens in a new tab, Australian Government, (2021). The first of its kind in Australia. It provides a nationally coordinated, strategic framework for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. The National Office for Child Safety led the development of the strategy and oversees its implementation.
• Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031,, opens in a new tab Australian Government, (2021). Australia’s national approach to child protection is guided by a 10-year framework developed collaboratively by governments, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives and the non-government sector to improve outcomes for children, young people and families experiencing disadvantage or at risk of abuse and neglect.
• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, opens in a new tab, Australian Human Rights Commission, (2019). Endorsed by governments Australia-wide to provide a national approach to embedding a child safe culture across all sectors of Australian society in which children are involved.

International

• International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, opens in a new tab, United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), (2015). The International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport is a rights-based reference that orients and supports policy- and decision-making in sport. It promotes inclusive access to sport by all without any form of discrimination. It sets ethical and quality standards for all actors designing, implementing and evaluating sport programmes and policies. Highlights that "concerted action and co-operation between stakeholders at all levels is the prerequisite for protecting the integrity and potential benefits of physical education, physical activity and sport from discrimination, racism, homophobia, bullying, doping, manipulation, excessive training of children, sexual exploitation, trafficking, as well as violence."

Australian

• Elite Youth Athlete Guidelines, Australian Sports Commission, (2026). Recommendations for supporting the wellbeing, development, and performance of U18 individuals across high performance (HP) sport.
• Creating safer sport for children and young people: How to apply the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, opens in a new tab, Sport Integrity Australia, (2025). This guide introduces the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (the National Principles) and how they apply to sport.
• Guide for managing high-risk activities: Child safeguarding practices in sport, opens in a new tab, Sport Integrity Australia, (2025). This guide is aimed at sporting organisations. It can be used in conjunction with the Children and Young People Safe Practices Do’s and Don’ts booklet, which helps guide appropriate individual behaviour in sport.

International

• Using AI responsibly in youth sport, opens in a new tab, Child Protection in Sport Unit [UK], (2026). By adopting the guidelines, organisations can be one step closer to using AI to enhance the sporting experience while protecting the rights, wellbeing and safety of every child and young person involved.
• IOC Framework for Safeguarding Athletes and Other Participants from Harassment and Abuse in Sport (Games-time Period), opens in a new tab, International Olympic Committee, (accessed 26 February 2026). The Framework is intended to supplement other IOC codes and regulations such as the Olympic Charter or the IOC Code of Ethics with further specific information and guidance during the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games, in order to ensure that there is a safe and supportive environment for all accredited participants. The Framework applies to all participants at each edition of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, between the opening and the closing of the Olympic Village(s) for the purposes of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games as defined within the Framework.
• International Safeguards for Children in Esports, opens in a new tab, International Safeguarding for Children in Sport, (accessed 26 February 2026). Aim to outline the things that should be put in place by any organisation providing esports activities to children and young people.
• International Training and Development Framework for Safeguarding Leads in Sport, opens in a new tab, International Safeguarding for Children in Sport, (May 2022). Designed to provide a clear training and development pathway to support those involved in safeguarding in sport at local, regional, national, or international level. The Framework recognises that whilst the role of the Safeguarding Lead will vary across organisations, the overall aim of safeguarding training is the same; to make sport safer for children and adults by supporting safeguarding professionals, trainers, and organisations to carry out their roles to the best of their ability.
• Children's Bill of Rights in Sports, opens in a new tab, Project Play, Aspen Institute, (2021). Developed by the Aspen Institute through its Project Play initiative, with a working group of human rights and sports policy experts, the Children's Bill of Rights in Sports identifies eight rights: To play sports; To safe and healthy environments; To qualified program leaders; To developmentally appropriate play; To share in the planning and delivery of their activities; To an equal opportunity for personal growth; To be treated with dignity; To enjoy themselves.
• Children's Rights in Sport Principles, opens in a new tab, UNICEF, (2nd edition, December 2018). All children have the right to participate in sport in a safe and enjoyable environment. Children's Rights in Sport Principles call for all persons involved to help realize sporting environment which would genuinely promote sound growth and prosperous lives of children.

Australian

• Start to Talk, opens in a new tab, Play by the Rules, (accessed 25 February 2026). A national campaign which aims to encourage parents and sporting organisations to discuss how they can work together to create a child safe environment.

Australian

• Safeguarding, opens in a new tab, Sport Integrity Australia, (accessed 25 February 2026). Safeguarding in sport involves protecting children, young people and adults from abuse. Though our national safeguarding policies, resources and education we help sporting organisations and individuals to provide safe, supportive and friendly sporting environments.
• Common Issues, opens in a new tab, Play by the Rules, (accessed 25 February 2026). Tips sheets, guidance and resources, developed in partnership with experts in integrity and community sport, to help navigate challenging issues in your club or association. Some resources include: Sideline behaviour; Community child safe sport; Child safe principles, legislation and resources; Child abuse disclosures; Child safety; Online abuse; Bullying; Taking and sharing images in sport; and more.
• Travel arrangements, opens in a new tab, Sport Integrity Australia, (accessed 26 February 2026). Whether attending events, competitions or training camps, having clear travel procedures is important. They help ensure that everyone arrives and stays safe and feels supported.
• True Sport, opens in a new tab, Sport West, (accessed 3 March 2026). Provides education and resources for athletes, coaches and organisations, promoting fair play and fostering positive environments in sport across WA. Initiatives cover a broad range of issues including Child safeguarding, Mental health and wellbeing, Sideline behaviour, Respectful relationships, and Cultural education.
• Child safe organisations, opens in a new tab, Australian Human Rights Commission, (accessed 25 February 2026). Practical tools to help organisations implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
• Child Safe Organisations E-learning modules, opens in a new tab, [free, requires login], Australian Human Rights Commission, (accessed 25 February 2026). 11 e-learning modules have been developed to help people working or volunteering in organisations that engage with children and young people.
• Safeguarding children: A child rights impact assessment tool, opens in a new tab, Australian Human Rights Commission, (2023). An 18-question checklist which can be used to measure the impact of any new laws or policies on the wellbeing of Australian children and families.
• Becoming a Child Friendly Sports Club, opens in a new tab, South Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People, (2022). Sporting clubs and organisations can use this guide to identify and resolve any issues experienced by members of the club to provide welcoming and child friendly environments.
• Professional Development: Child Safety, opens in a new tab, Royal Life Saving Australia,(accessed 26 February 2026). Royal Life Saving has developed 2 modules here. The first is aimed at frontline staff, e.g. swim teachers and lifegaurds, the second builds on this content and is designed for management. The chief purpose of both modules is to assist the aquatic industry, and its workforce, to develop a clear understanding of the expectations, legal requirements and best practices related to ensuring children are safe from harm and abuse and that aquatic facilities/organisations create a positive, child-friendly culture and environment.

International

• 8 Safeguards, opens in a new tab, International Safeguarding for Children in Sport, (accessed 26 February 2026). Each Safeguard comes with a description, an explanation of why it is important for safeguarding, and a list of criteria for success. Information on the eight Safeguards and the success criteria are available in a range of languages.
• Self-Audit, opens in a new tab, International Safeguarding for Children in Sport, (accessed 26 February 2026). Use this tool to assess how your organisation is doing with regards to each of the eight Safeguards. Available for download in multiple languages, and as an online version in English, French, German, and Spanish.
• Online courses, opens in a new tab, International Safeguarding for Children in Sport, (accessed 26 February 2026). Three, free online courses on safeguarding essentials, safeguarding practice, and effective safeguarding, available in English, French, and Spanish.
• Child & youth protection resources, opens in a new tab, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), (accessed 26 February 2026). To support UEFA's mission, they have developed a range of learning resources and practical guidelines for anyone working with children and young people across football – from administrators to grassroots coaches. Materials are needs-based and aligned with international standards. Resources include:
  • Online courses, available in multiple European languages
  • Event guidelines to provide best practice guidance for organisers on how to safeguard children and young people
  • Toolkit offering useful information on a range of child and youth protection topics, such as communication and policy development.

• Keeping children and young people with disability safe, opens in a new tab, Play by the Rules, (13 March 2026). Play by the Rules is pleased to share three videos developed by the National Office for Child Safety (the National Office) about safety for children and young people with disability which support clubs to create and maintain child safe sporting environments.
• New research shows councils hold the key to ending abuse in kids’ sport, opens in a new tab, Monash University, (4 December 2025). New research from Monash University raises questions about the effectiveness of current approaches to stopping abuse and discrimination in children’s sport, and highlights how local councils could play a pivotal role in protecting children from harm.
• Gymnastics Australia breached human rights of girl with broken back, report finds, opens in a new tab, David Mark, ABC, (3 September 2025). A report by an international ethics body has found that Gymnastics Australia (GA) breached the human rights of a 12-year-old girl who broke her back while training in excruciating pain.
• Japan Acts to Protect Athletes from Abuse, opens in a new tab, Hanna Yumura, Human Rights Watch, (13 June 2025). Four years after hosting the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japan is finally taking action to protect athletes from abuse in sport. This month, the Japanese National Diet passed a revision to the Basic Act on Sport (2011), requiring the national and local governments to adopt measures against any form of physical or sexual abuse, and against verbal and other abuse when committed by coaches and others in positions of power.
• What parents and youth athletes can do to protect against abuse in sport, opens in a new tab, Fanny Kuhlin, Jessica Lee, Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Steven Rynne, The Conversation, (3 June 2025). While sport can have many wonderful benefits for young people, it can also have a dark side, one where abuse can flourish, leading to serious psychological and physical harm. How can parents ensure their children are safe?
• With Olympics approaching, it’s time to recognize children as a protected class in sport, opens in a new tab, Peter Donnelly, Marcus Mazzucco, The Conversation, (20 May 2024). With the Paris Olympics approaching, questions will again be raised about child athletes competing at major international competitions. This presents an opportunity for those in amateur and professional sports to work toward protecting the safety and well-being of child athletes.
• AFL club Western Bulldogs ordered to pay $5.9m to child sexual abuse victim Adam Kneale, opens in a new tab, Kristian Silva, ABC, (9 November 2023). The Western Bulldogs have been ordered to fork out a $5.9 million compensation payout to a child sex abuse victim, after a Supreme Court jury ruled the club was negligent and failed to stop a paedophile who preyed on young boys.
• Less than half of Australian children who experience violence in sport tell an adult, world-first study finds, opens in a new tab, Natasha May, The Guardian, (23 October 2023). Normalisation of violence in sport, like ‘tough love’ coaching, has discouraged children from speaking up, experts say.
• IOC agrees to raise short track minimum age limit for Milan Cortina 2026, opens in a new tab, Geoff Berkeley, Inside the Games, (11 September 2023). The International Skating Union (ISU) has ruled that only skaters that have reached the age of at least 17 before July 1 in 2025 should be eligible to compete at Milan Cortina 2026.

• Hear me play: Youth perceptions of safety in sport - 2025 survey results, opens in a new tab, Sport Integrity Australia, (2026). This first report from the Youth Perceptions of Safety in Sport Study shares the findings from the 2025 annual survey, completed by more than 1,000 young people aged 12 to 18 from across Australia.
• Positive Behaviours in Sport Snapshot 2025, opens in a new tab, Sport Integrity Australia, (2025). A snapshot of results from the first 12 months of the Positive Behaviours in Sport Study that is being conducted over a period of five years between 2024-2028 to seek thoughts and feedback from coaches and participants/athletes around what they think about the fairness and safety of sport in Australia and provide insight into the current level of knowledge Australians have in relation to sport integrity issues.
• Operation Refuge: An Examination of Doping Among Minors, opens in a new tab, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), (January 2024). Reports in detail about the deep trauma and isolation child athletes experience following a positive test and doping sanction. Undertaken by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department, the report shines a light on the immense challenges faced by minors, their families and the anti-doping community when a child tests positive for a prohibited substance or method. The report delivers a number of conclusions and identifies important areas for improvement on this issue.
• More than a game: what do children and young people think about sport?, opens in a new tab South Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People, Project report No.31, (June 2022). The aim of this report is to bring children and young people’s voices to the fore in a way that will support change being made to the cultural conditions and infrastructure that currently surround sport and physical activity in South Australia. Doing so will encourage greater and ongoing participation from children and young people because they will have had input into what services and infrastructure needs to be delivered and where.
• CASES: Child abuse in sport: European Statistics – Project Report, opens in a new tab, Hartill, M., Rulofs, B., Lang, M., et al., Edge Hill University, (2021). The CASES project aimed to provide data on the prevalence of interpersonal violence, abuse and maltreatment experienced by children (people under the age of 18) inside or outside sport, across different European national contexts. To this end we undertook a survey of over 10,000 individuals across Europe in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Romania, Spain, and the UK.
• Keeping kids safe and well: your voices, opens in a new tab, Australian Human Rights Commission, (2022). The report presents key issues, priorities, and recommendations to guide the government’s five-year action plans under Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2021–2031. It reflects the views of children, young people, and families gathered through consultations and surveys in mid-2021.

• Applying a systems thinking lens to child sexual abuse in sport: an analysis of investigative report findings and recommendations, opens in a new tab, Karl Dodd, Paul M. Salmon, Colin Solomon, et al., Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 165, 107488, (2025). The aim of this study was to analyse investigative reports into child sexual abuse (CSA) in five Australian sports (Swimming, Cricket, Gymnastics, Football, and Tennis), to evaluate the extent to which a systems thinking approach was adopted to understand the broader systemic factors enabling CSA in sport. Factors enabling CSA detailed in the reports, as well as their accompanying recommendations, were mapped to a systems thinking-based framework. The identified enabling factors and recommendations were then evaluated to determine the extent to which a whole of systems focus had been adopted in the investigative reports. In total, 30 enabling factors to CSA were identified, with the majority focused at the higher levels of the sports system (e.g., Governance, Policy, Reporting/Handling issues etc.). This contrasts with the peer reviewed literature. The findings indicate that the identified enabling factors to CSA align with a systems thinking approach, whereas the recommendations to safeguarding partially adhere to the tenets of system thinking.
• Are some sports riskier than others? An investigation into child athlete experiences of interpersonal violence in relation to sport type and gender, opens in a new tab, Vertommen, T., Sølvberg, N., Lang, M., & Kampen, J. K., International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 60(5), pp.921-945, (2025). Despite recent advances in safeguarding sport participants from interpersonal violence, empirical evidence regarding its prevalence and risk factors across different sports remains scarce. In this study, we investigated differences in the prevalence of interpersonal violence among a convenience sample of 9989 adults from six European countries who participated in organised sport before age 18. Utilising binary logistic regression analyses and CHAID regression tree analyses, we examined variations in reported experiences of neglect, psychological, physical, non-contact sexual and contact sexual forms of interpersonal violence based on gender and three sport classifications: type of sport (individual vs. team), sports attire (non-revealing vs. body-fitting/revealing) and weight-sensitivity (less weight-sensitive vs. weight-sensitive sports). Men participating in team sports reported significantly higher levels of victimisation across all types of interpersonal violence. Women in sports with non-revealing attire and men in less weight-sensitive sports also reported higher prevalence rates. The study underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of interpersonal violence characteristics and dynamics across different sports. Insights into the factors influencing victimisation enable tailored prevention and response strategies to be developed to better address the needs of athletes and sport organisations.
• Prevalence of emotional abuse and subsequent feelings in adolescent and young semi-professional male football players, opens in a new tab, Fatemeh RayatSarokolaei, Mohammad Vaezmousavi, Mojgan Memarmoghaddam, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 30(6), pp.754-767, (2025). Emotional abuse is the most common form of maltreatment in sports. However, due to the ignorance of the harmful effects and the hiding of this abuse in the shadow of success, less attention has been paid to it. In the present study, the researchers investigated the amount of emotional abuse and the subsequent feelings in young and adolescent athletes. The current research is cross-sectional with a mixed-methods approach, and 100 football players (adolescent = 59, young = 41) participated in the study. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which was analyzed and interpreted by grounded theory and SPSS software. Evidence demonstrated that 48% of all participants were emotionally abused by a coach during their sports career, such as humiliation and insults. While this maltreatment has been more common among young athletes, it has left far more short and long-term destructive effects, such as self-blame and loss of pride among adolescents. Based on the findings, we conclude that many athletes are exposed to emotional abuse, which has adverse consequences, especially in adolescence. Therefore, the awareness of athletes and coaches regarding maltreatment and its harmful effects can reduce the frequency of emotional abuse and maintain the psychological safety of athletes.
• Sustainability of Policies Addressing Harassment and Abuse in Children’s Sports: A Descriptive and Cross-National Account of Five European Countries, opens in a new tab, Shiakou, M., Alexopoulos, A., Avgerinos, A., et al., Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Volume 49(4), pp.309-331, (2025). Harassment and abuse in children's sports have significant long-term impacts on young athletes. The sustainability of policies addressing these issues depends on their comprehensiveness, implementation, enforcement, and adaptability. Despite progress by many sports organizations, abuse rates remain high. This study explored the perspectives of stakeholders on managing harassment and abuse in children's sports, aiming to promote healthy environments. It involved analyzing focus group discussions with 37 stakeholders from five European countries: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Austria. While the overt cases of abuse and harassment were easier to identify and address by the participants, the findings revealed several gray areas that complicate the situation which included physical training regimens, intense coaching practices, boundary violations, distinguishing motivation from mental abuse, parental conduct, and culturally accepted tactics. These gray areas were further influenced by cultural underpinnings, as norms and practices surrounding authority, discipline, and interaction in sports vary significantly across different cultural contexts. Participants emphasized the insufficiency of current educational programs and called for comprehensive initiatives to raise awareness among parents, coaches, federations, and child athletes. Training children on self-protection strategies was also deemed crucial. Participants highlighted the inadequacy of existing reporting mechanisms and advocated for clear, publicly accessible reporting guides. Despite acknowledging existing frameworks and policies, they reported inadequate implementation, indicating a gap between policy development and practical application.
• Complaints procedure for aggrieved athletes thwarts necessary cultural change in gymnastics in Australia, opens in a new tab, Roberts VL, Quigley AS, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 58(1), pp.50-52, (2024). How can we make organisational complaint policies and investigation procedures work more effectively to support, rather than thwart, whole-of-sport cultural change? To establish a set of recommendations, we need to consider the influence of culture on organisational behaviour and policy design and implementation.
• Concussion management in pediatric patients – ethical concerns, opens in a new tab, Taryn Knox, Alexander Gilbert, Lynley Anderson, Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, Volume 18(3-4), pp.267-281, (2024). Collision sports pose a high risk of concussion. How to respond to this risk is more ethically complex when considering children and adolescents due to a) incomplete evidence regarding the impact of concussion on developing brains, b) physiological and social vulnerability, and c) the young person’s reliance on proxy decision-makers, usually parents. There is also a lack of clear definitions of (a) collision sport (vs. contact sport) and (b) what constitutes a child or adolescent. We consider whether parents should be free to allow their children/adolescents to play contact or collision sport. The article analyses the harms and benefits of collision sport and methods of determining risk, before outlining our support for the precautionary principle. We then consider whether the ‘best interests’ or ‘right to an open future’ framework ought to be applied to the issue of childhood participation in collision sport. Rather than supporting a ban of child/adolescent participation in collision sport, we argue that permissibility should be decided on a sport-by-sport basis. Moreover, we apply the ‘Accountability of Reasonableness’ framework to ensure that sound ethical values guide and support protections for this vulnerable group in the absence of high-quality evidence.
• Crossing the line: conceptualising and rationalising bullying and banter in male adolescent community football, opens in a new tab, Robert J. Booth, Ed Cope, Daniel J.A. Rhind, Sport, Education and Society, Volume 29(6), pp.758-773, (2024). This study investigates how bullying and banter are conceptualised and rationalised by those in male adolescent community football. The authors employ a social constructivist, interpretative phenomenological analysis approach using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. These methods explore the meanings behind the perceptions and experiences of male players (N = 8, M age = 15.4) and coaches (N = 4, M age = 39). Evidence demonstrated that intent was not synonymous with bullying and that bullying and banter behaviours are highly ambiguous depending on the shared understanding of learned barriers despite participants concurring with most aspects of the definitions. Moreover, banter and bullying behaviours in community football have been experienced by participants, with acts being rationalised through moral disengagement and hypermasculinity. The research indicates that although bullying and banter are conceptualised similarly to popular definitions, concrete definitions may be limited due to the fluid nature of bullying and banter and the influence of shared social understandings. Additionally, the findings gathered show bullying and banter being experienced and rationalised in male youth community sport through moral disengagement and masculinity. The implications of these findings for safeguarding players and coaches in community football are discussed.
• Safeguarding strategies in athletes with intellectual disabilities: A narrative review, opens in a new tab, George Raum, Kuntal Chowdhary, Olivia A. Glotfelty-Scheuering, et al., PM&R, Volume 16(4), pp.374-383, (2024). Compared to their non-disabled peers, athletes with disabilities are at an increased risk of interpersonal violence in sport. Athletes with intellectual disabilities specifically may face compounded risk due to impaired communication and social challenges. Despite the inherent risk of interpersonal violence in athletes with intellectual disabilities, there is a paucity of literature focused on safeguarding strategies in this population, and no global consensus prevention guidelines exist. The goal of this review was to synthesize the literature on interpersonal violence in athletes with intellectual disabilities and propose an evidence-informed safeguarding framework. Future research and practice should emphasize tailored training on appropriate athlete-protection strategies and ways to recognize and respond to suspicions of abuse in this population. Given the benefits of sports participation for persons with intellectual disabilities, implementation of fit-for-purpose safeguarding strategies would help address any elevated risk of interpersonal violence. Formal monitoring and evaluation of these initiatives can help minimize interpersonal violence.
• The Safe Sport Allies bystander training: developing a multi-layered program for youth sport participants and their coaches to prevent harassment and abuse in local sport clubs, opens in a new tab, Karolien Adriaens, Helena Verhelle, Gjalt-Jorn Ygram Peters, et al., Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 15, (2024). Harassment and abuse represent a pervasive and critical problem in sport with far-reaching consequences. Survivors’ testimonials underscore the profound and enduring impact of these experiences at individual, interpersonal, organizational and community level. Many of their stories reveal painful inaction from responsible adults in the sport organization, aggravating the harm. Other contributing factors to the harm inflicted include a culture of silence, lack of knowledge and understanding of what constitutes abuse, unawareness of reporting and supporting mechanisms, and fear of potential consequences. While effective bystander interventions have been developed outside the sport context, particularly targeting students in higher education, such initiatives have yet to be extensively adapted and assessed within the sport context. To address this gap, the Safe Sport Allies Erasmus+ collaborative partnership relied on the intervention mapping approach as a guiding framework to systematically develop a bystander training program (i.e., Safe Sport Allies) to train youth sport participants and youth sport coaches to act as effective bystanders. The current paper describes the comprehensive development process and provides an overview of implementation and evaluation possibilities. Throughout the paper, it is explained how each step of the Intervention Mapping approach shaped the Safe Sport Allies bystander training program. The program development, and the developed plans for implementation and evaluation are presented, shedding light on challenges encountered. The bystander training program developed in this paper and the implementation and evaluation plans can serve as an outline to build future interventions within this critical domain of safeguarding in sport.
• Social media impact on athlete mental health: #RealityCheck, opens in a new tab, Putukian M, Blauwet C, Currie A, et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 58(9), pp.463-465, (2024). Although the literature on mental health and social media use has increased, minimal research exists on young and/or elite athletes, leaving many important questions unanswered. What are the positive and negative mental health effects of social media on athletes? Are there opportunities to use social media to increase mental health literacy, destigmatise mental health and normalise help-seeking behaviours? What measures exist to protect young and elite athletes from adverse effects of social media? This editorial addresses the potential benefits and harms of social media use on the mental health of athletes and calls for increased research, education and policy to better safeguard athletes in the future.
• Someone in their corner: trauma- and violence-informed approaches to disclosures of maltreatment in sport, opens in a new tab, Sheppard-Perkins M, Bradley L, Beaudry S, et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume58(22), pp.1311-1312, (2024). Abuse and harassment in sports can present in many forms and are dishearteningly common, having disproportionate effects on groups who experience structural and systemic inequities such as athletes living with a disability, 2SLGBTQIA+athletes4 and children and youth. Despite consistently low rates of disclosure of abuse in sports, moving forward with disclosure can be an effective catalyst towards the healing process, at which point the survivor may feel more comfortable seeking formal or informal avenues of support. However, a variety of factors can impede disclosure, prevent responses and enable ongoing experiences of abuse. These barriers include conflicts of interest, fear of professional repercussions, lack of formal pathways to respond to athlete maltreatment, power differentials, personal loyalty and organisational protectionism. This editorial discusses trauma- and violence-informed approaches to assist athlete disclosures of abuse and harassment in sports.
• Telling adults about it: children’s experience of disclosing interpersonal violence in community sport, opens in a new tab, Mary N. Woessner, Aurélie Pankowiak, Emma Kavanagh, et al., Sport in Society, Volume 27(5), pp.661-680, (2024). A challenge in safeguarding children from interpersonal violence (IV) in sport is the reliance on self-disclosures and a limited understanding of the frequency, barriers to and process of disclosures of IV. Through a mixed-methods design, combining survey and interviews, we explored the frequencies of childhood disclosures of experiences of IV in Australian community sport as well as who children disclosed to and how the interaction unfolded. Those who experienced peer violence disclosed at the highest frequency (35%), followed by coach (27%) or parent (13%) perpetrated IV. A parent/carer was most often the adult that the child disclosed to. Interviews highlighted how the normalisation of violence influenced all aspects of the disclosure and elements of stress buffering (normalising or rationalising) particularly underpinned the disclosure interaction. Policies and practices should explicitly identify all forms of IV in sport as prohibited conduct; education and intervention initiatives should target parents as first responders to disclosures.
• What Enables Child Sexual Abuse in Sport? A Systematic Review, opens in a new tab, Karl Dodd, Colin Solomon, Mitchell Naughton, et al., Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, Volume 25(2), pp.1599-1613, (2024). Sporting environments provide opportunities for perpetrators to commit child sexual abuse (CSA). While awareness of CSA in sport and preventative interventions are increasing, CSA in sport still occurs at alarming rates. A systematic review was conducted to identify and synthesize the extant literature on the enabling factors for CSA in sport. The 34 included articles were peer-reviewed and were primary sources; had full-text versions in English; included the individual, situational, environmental, or systemic antecedent factors and characteristics which enable CSA in organized sport (clubs, schools, universities, and representative teams); and focused on abuse in children (0–18 years old), and included retrospective incidents. The enabling factors from across the broader sports system were identified and mapped using a systems thinking-based approach, the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and the associated AcciMap method. The results indicated that enabling factors for CSA in sport were identified at multiple levels of the sporting system hierarchy. The results show that 24.1% (n = 46) of the enabling factors identified in the literature relate to the hierarchical level of the Athlete, teammates, opponents, and fans levels, and 52.9% (n = 101) of the enabling factors relate to the level of Direct supervisors, management, medical, and performance personnel level. However, only 13% (n = 25) of enabling factors to CSA in sport were identified at the combined top four hierarchical levels. Results indicate that the problem of CSA in sport is a systems issue, and future research is required to explore how these factors interact to enable CSA in sport.
• What would you do? Developing, implementing and evaluating a coach bystander intervention to prevent sexual violence in youth sports clubs, opens in a new tab, Helena Verhelle, Tine Vertommen, Karolien Adriaens, et al., Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Volume 36(5), pp.809-830, (2024). With current estimates of up to one in three children experiencing some form of sexual violence in sports, the need for effective measures to prevent sexual violence in sports is high. Survivors’ narratives of sexual violence in sports uncover the lack of (adequate) bystander action and the urgent need for stakeholder education to effectively prevent sexual violence in youth sports. This study presents the “All Aboard” educational program, targeting youth sports coaches in Flanders (Belgium). The program aimed to stimulate the intentions of youth coaches to engage in positive bystander behavior to adequately detect, assess, and respond to signs of sexual violence toward young athletes. After two pilot studies, this program was implemented in nine Flemish sports clubs. Coaches’ readiness to change, intentions and attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control were measured before and after they participated in the program using the “And what would you do?” questionnaire, constructed according to the Reasoned Action Approach. After the program, positive change was found in coaches’ intentions to be a positive bystander, e.g., they acknowledged the value of being a positive bystander, felt more comfortable being a positive bystander and believed that doing so would improve the situation. This article is one of the first to report on an evidence-based intervention program to prevent sexual violence in sports by fostering positive attitudes toward positive bystander behaviors by coaches. Opportunities and challenges of implementing education to prevent sexual violence in local sports clubs are discussed.
• You do not suddenly become safe on your 18th birthday: managing safeguarding cases involving adult athletes in the United Kingdom, opens in a new tab, Olivia Garrod, Daniel Rhind, Sport Management Review, Volume 27(3), pp.344-364, (2024). Despite publicised cases of abuse impacting those above the age of 18, little research attention has been paid to the safeguarding of adults. The present study is informed by the recommendations of the Duty of Care in Sport Review, aiming to inform the development of a case data collection tool. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 11 key stakeholders. Inductive thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed several challenges to collecting adult safeguarding case data in sport which were categorised into three domains: conceptualising cases, managing cases, and recording cases. Developing an effective case management process for adults will require a broader, and shared, understanding of the conceptualisation of adult safeguarding cases, including that vulnerability is not solely determined by personal characteristics, but is affected by the behaviour of perpetrators and fluctuates as circumstances change. Top-down support is necessary to ensure greater consistency in the reporting of valuable adult case data. With clear expectations, regarding what an adult safeguarding case is, what data should be collected, how it should be collected and why, as well as adequate resources, sports of all levels will be in a better position to protect adults from abuse or harm. A clearer roadmap for the management of adult safeguarding concerns in sport is offered.
• Athlete Perceptions of Governance-Related Issues to Sexual Abuse in Sport, opens in a new tab, Jörg Krieger, Lindsay Parks Pieper, Social Sciences, Volume 12(3), (2023). Cases of abuse in sport have emerged with frightening regularity over the past two decades. Scholarship has identified risk factors that can help facilitate abuse in sport and has explored athletes’ experiences with sexual abuse. However, less is known about athletes’ perceptions of the systematic organizational-level problems that fail to curtail sexual abuse. This article, therefore, explores what athletes believe to be the key issues in governance that facilitate sexual abuse in sport. An analysis of the lawsuits that athletes filed against US sport organizations and the testimonies they provided to the US Congress from 2017 to 2022 show four primary ways in which organizational culture, decisions and policies helped permit misconduct in sport. Athlete perspectives suggest governance issues related to monopolistic power structures, a lack of athlete representation, conflicts of interest, and commercialization facilitated an abuse-prone culture within Olympic and Paralympic sport in the United States. These findings show that athletes feel that the adjudication mechanisms that remain connected to sport bodies do not always curtail abuse.
• Nonaccidental Violence Among Elite Athletes in Finland: Associations With Sport Conditions and Mental Well-Being and Ill-Being, opens in a new tab, Satu Kaskiand Ulla Kinnunen, Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, Volume 17(4), pp.482-501, (2023). The aim of this research was to study the prevalence of nonaccidental violence among elite athletes in Finland, the predisposing factors to violence, and its consequences for mental well-being and ill-being. A total of 2,045 Finnish athletes participated in the study. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the associations. The results indicated that 38.8% had experienced psychological abuse, 14.7% bullying, 13.3% gender-based harassment, and 5.5% sexual harassment. Female and younger athletes reported more violent experiences than male and older athletes. A team’s safe atmosphere and readiness to act protected athletes from nonaccidental violence, whereas the coach did not play a role. Nonaccidental violence, particularly psychological abuse, was associated with reduced mental well-being and increased ill-being. Our results suggest that it is worth investing in the team’s mutual relationships and safe cooperation when ensuring appropriate behavior and preventing nonaccidental violence among athletes.
• Pixies in a windstorm: Tracing Australian gymnasts’ stories of athlete maltreatment through media data, opens in a new tab, Michelle E. Seanor, Cole E. Giffin, Robert J. Schinke, et al., Sport in Society, Volume 26(3), pp.553-572, (2023). The media have reported stories of a toxic sport culture in elite gymnastics. Our interdisciplinary research team, through the lens of cultural relativism, sought to present athlete maltreatment as culturally constructed across individual, organizational and national cultural layers in Olympic development contexts. Tracing storied media data from elite Australian gymnasts, we tailored our sociocultural interpretation of athlete maltreatment within an Asia-Pacific context. We engaged in a reflexive thematic analysis to analyze and recognize our interpretations of the media data. We use a polyphonic vignette to highlight multiple storylines of Olympic athlete maltreatment across five temporal phases: (1) defining an Australian gymnast, (2) grooming an Australian gymnast, (3) living as an Australian gymnast, (4) questioning gymnastics and (5) what happens to Australian gymnasts now? Utilizing Asia-Pacific media data facilitated our nuanced interpretation of infacing and outfacing athlete maltreatment as media sources project athlete narratives in alignment with cultural agendas.
• Psychological, physical, and sexual violence against children in Australian community sport: frequency, perpetrator, and victim characteristics, opens in a new tab, Pankowiak, A., Woessner, M. N., Parent, S., et al., Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Volume 38(3-4), pp.4338-4365, (2023). Childhood sport participation is associated with physical, social, and mental health benefits, which are more likely to be realized if the sport environment is safe. However, our understanding of children’s experience of psychological, physical, and sexual violence in community sport in Australia is limited. The aims of this study were to provide preliminary evidence on the extent of experiences of violence during childhood participation in Australian community sport and to identify common perpetrators of and risk factors for violence. The Violence Towards Athletes Questionnaire (VTAQ) was administered online to a convenience sample of Australian adults (>18 years), retrospectively reporting experiences of violence during childhood community sport. Frequencies of experience of violence were calculated and Chi-square tests were conducted to determine differences between genders. In total, there were 886 respondents included in the analysis. Most survey respondents were women (63%) and about a third were men (35%). About 82% of respondents experienced violence in sport as a child. Psychological violence was most prevalent (76%), followed by physical (66%) and sexual (38%) violence. Peers perpetrated the highest rates of psychological violence (69%), and the rates of physical and psychological violence by coaches (both >50%) were also high. Age, sexual orientation, disability, and hours of weekly sport participation as a child were all associated with childhood experience of violence in sport. The rates of interpersonal violence against children in sport were high. This novel data on perpetrators of the violence and the risk factors for experiencing violence provides further context to inform safeguarding strategies in sport. A national prevalence study is recommended to advance our understanding of the childhood experiences of violence in Australian sport.
• Prevalence of interpersonal violence against children in sport in six European countries, opens in a new tab, Mike Hartill, Bettina Rulofs, Marc Allroggen, et al., Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 146, (2023). A self-report questionnaire was developed (the Interpersonal Violence Against Children in Sport Questionnaire or IVACS-Q) to measure prevalence of five categories of interpersonal violence (neglect, psychological violence, physical violence, non-contact sexual violence, and contact sexual violence) against children who participate in sport. Validation testing (published separately) showed reasonable levels of convergent and divergent validity. Prevalence rates were calculated by national context, whether inside or outside sport, and by sex (male/female).The sample (N = 10,302) consisted of individuals aged 18–30 who had participated in organized sport prior to age 18 (49.3 % male, 50 % female). Prevalence of IVACS inside sport differed by category: psychological violence (65 %, n = 6679), physical violence (44 %, n = 4514), neglect (37 %, n = 3796), non-contact sexual violence (35 %, n = 3565), and contact sexual violence (20 %, n = 2060). Relatively small geographical differences were found. Across all categories, males (79 %, n = 4018) reported significantly more experiences inside sport than females (71 %, n = 3653). Strong correlations were found between experiencing violence inside and outside sport.
• Sport Structured Brain Trauma is Child Abuse, opens in a new tab, Eric Anderson, Gary Turner, Jack Hardwicke, et al., Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, (November 2023). This article first summarizes research regarding the relationship between sports that intentionally structure multiple types of brain trauma into their practice, such as rugby and boxing, and the range of negative health outcomes that flow from participation in such sports. The resultant brain injuries are described as ‘now’ and ‘later’ diseases, being those that affect the child immediately and then across their lifetime. After highlighting how these sports can permanently injure children, it examines this harm in relation to existing British laws and policies concerning child abuse. The conclusion drawn is that neither children nor adults on their behalf are legally able to give informed consent for participation, and that impact sport organisations effectively groom children into sustaining and accepting brain trauma. Adults providing brain-traumatizing versions of these sports are thus described as being complicit in a form of child abuse that we term brain abuse. The contradictions in existing sports policy are highlighted, where policy describes that children are to be protected from harm, and yet the very practice of such sports creates harm by design. Implications of the argument are that children should be prohibited from partaking in impact sports.
• SafeSport: Perceptions of Harassment and Abuse From Elite Youth Athletes at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, Lausanne 2020, opens in a new tab, Mountjoy, Margo; Vertommen, Tine; Tercier, Stephane, et al., Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, Volume 32(3), pp.297-305, (2022). To analyze the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2020 athletes' understanding and perceptions of harassment and abuse in sport and their knowledge of reporting mechanisms. The survey response rate of athletes attending the Safe Sport Booth was 69%. When asked to define Safe Sport, 10% of athletes at the YOG2020 correctly identified a sport environment free from harassment and abuse, 20% identified fair play/antidoping, and 19% safety. When presented with the definition of harassment and abuse, 30.4% expressed surprise, in contrast to 46% in the summer YOG2018. A third (32%) reported that harassment and abuse was either “likely” or “very likely” present in their sport, which was similar to the YOG2018 (34%). The group of athletes not knowing where to go to report harassment and abuse was greater than in the YOG2018 (26% vs 11%). There were no differences in responses between competitive sex (boys' vs girls' events) or type of sport (team vs individual).
• Parents’ Own Experience of Verbal Abuse Is Associated with their Acceptance of Abuse towards Children from Youth Sports Coaches, opens in a new tab, Yutaka Yabe, Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Takuya Sekiguchi, et al., The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, Volume 249(4), pp.249-254, (2019). Verbal or physical abuse from coaches has negative effects on young athletes, and the parents of athletes also have an influence on the sports environment. It is therefore important to understand parents' attitudes towards abuse against their children from the coaches. A cross-sectional study using self-report questionnaires was conducted with parents of young athletes (n = 6,493). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the factors associated with parents' acceptability of verbal or physical abuse against their children. The proportion of parents who were accepting of verbal or physical abuse was 21.5%. Acceptability of verbal or physical abuse was significantly associated with male, younger age, lower educational attainment, smoking habits, experience of playing on a team with high levels of competition during their junior or high school days, and experience of verbal and physical abuse by their own former coaches. About 58% and 28% of parents had experienced verbal and physical abuse from their own former coaches, and parents who had experienced verbal abuse themselves were most likely to be accepting of verbal or physical abuse towards their children. Educating parents is considered to be important for preventing and eradicating abuse against young athletes.
• Building a System to Safeguard Children in Sport: The Eight CHILDREN Pillars, opens in a new tab, Rhind, D. J. A., Kay, T., Hills, L., et al., Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Volume 41(2), pp.151-171, (2017). In October 2014, the International Safeguards for Children in Sport were launched. These Safeguards were developed, implemented, and evaluated based on a pilot process which took place over the preceding 2 years. Throughout this piloting phase, a range of qualitative techniques were employed to capture the experiences of people within 32 of the organizations that were working toward the International Safeguards. The participant organizations varied based on their geographical focus (e.g., local, national, and international) as well as their mission (e.g., participation, competition, and sport for development). Based on a thematic analysis, eight key pillars were identified on which systems which safeguard children can be built. These are known as the CHILDREN pillars: Cultural sensitivity, Holistic, Incentives, Leadership, Dynamic, Resources, Engagement, and Networks. Illustrative examples are provided and the future directions of this project will be discussed.