Safe Sport in Mediterranean Contexts: Cultural Logics of Harm, Silence, and Authority

This study explores how cultural logics, as articulated by system-level actors in the Northern Mediterranean region, may shape the acceptance, tolerance, and normalisation of interpersonal violence in sport, and constrain efforts to develop and implement safe sport initiatives. Using a cultural praxis heuristic, we conducted 60 semi-structured interviews with individuals responsible for coach education and recruitment in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, and Portugal. Analysis identified three themes: patriarchal structures reinforcing hierarchical power dynamics and gender norms; a win-focused culture prioritising competitive success over athlete well-being; and cultures of blindness and silence through which harmful practices are overlooked, minimised, or contained. Across contexts, safeguarding was described as less salient than adjacent institutional priorities (e.g., doping and match-fixing), and participants highlighted a tension between expectations for top-down reform and mistrust toward institutional authorities, helping to explain why safeguarding remains weakly operationalised in everyday governance. Addressing IV therefore requires explicit attention to the cultural logics through which authority is exercised, success is evaluated, and concerns are handled within routine organisational practice. Implications include strengthening coach education and governance processes, supporting culture-change efforts that rebalance performance and welfare priorities, and engaging local actors to increase accountability and voice.