Athlete advocacy: an examination of existing reporting frameworks and next steps

The 2017 USA Gymnastics (USAG) scandal, which revealed that Dr. Larry Nassar, head team physician for US gymnastics, sexually abused countless gymnasts, is one of the most widely recognized cases of sexual abuse in youth sports. Not only did Nassar abuse elite US gymnasts, but he also abused many student-athletes at Michigan State University. USAG and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) acted and began implementing the SafeSport training program to educate athletes, coaches, and staff about how to recognize and prevent abuse; however, similar training has not yet been implemented within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and other major sports governing bodies in the United States. The purpose of this review was to examine the current recommendations for preventing abuse put in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and discuss how sports organizations can continue to improve on existing frameworks for reporting non-accidental violence in sports. An online search was conducted to determine the current frameworks recommended for abuse and harrassment reporting within sports. PubMed and a general online search were utilized. Official documentation from the governing bodies were used as definitive sources. Other literature was independently analyzed for validity. The current IOC guidelines recommend maintaining commitment, trustworthiness, and impartiality as key components of the abuse reporting process. A separate trauma framework from the Centre for Sports and Human Rights outlined a 5 step process to report abuse. The NCAA does not currently have a universal reporting framework in place. A combination of current IOC guidelines and existing trauma frameworks for abuse prevention would be an effective way to implement a centralized reporting framework for the NCAA in order to protect athletes. This would open up avenues for preventing perpetrator migration across sports, as well as creating an environment that has athlete safety as the highest priority.