SafeSport Fights to Protect Olympic Athletes from Abuse
by Hannah R. Brefeld and Lucia Mead
SafeSport emerged from one of the largest institutional failures in modern American sports. For decades, Larry Nassar, a former physician trusted by USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, sexually abused hundreds of women and girl athletes while disguising his crimes as medical treatment. Despite repeated complaints and warning signs, investigations revealed that officials within USA Gymnastics, Michigan State, and the broader Olympic movement failed to intervene, allowing Nassar continued access to athletes for years.[1] In response, Congress passed the Safe Sport Authorization Act in 2018, formally establishing the U.S. Center for SafeSport as an independent body to investigate and address abuse and misconduct within Olympic, Paralympic, and amateur sports.[2]
Today, the US. Center for SafeSport (“SafeSport”) functions as the primary independent body for preventing and responding to abuse in Olympic-affiliated amateur athletics in the United States. Operating as an administrative disciplinary system, SafeSport was designed to provide conflict-free investigations and decision-making in an environment where national governing bodies (like USA gymnastics) often possess significant financial and reputational incentives to conceal or mishandle allegations of misconduct. SafeSport has the authority to investigate allegations of sexual abuse, harassment, grooming, emotional misconduct, retaliation, hazing, and certain forms of physical violence involving individuals connected to Olympic-affiliated sports organizations.[3] SafeSport may impose suspensions, participation restrictions, or permanent bans from amateur sport. SafeSport cannot, however, impose criminal penalties or award monetary damages. Survivors seeking criminal accountability must report misconduct to law enforcement, while those pursuing financial compensation must pursue their claims in civil court.[4]
One of the most significant legal aspects of the SafeSport framework is that it is not bound by a statute of limitations for reporting child sexual abuse.[5] In the context of elite athletics, this is especially important because abuse frequently occurs in environments where programs exercise significant authority over almost every element of an athlete’s life, making immediate reporting both emotionally and practically difficult. This power imbalance can often delay reporting, as many survivors only disclose once they have left the sport. Further, recognizing the unique barriers minors face in coming forward, SafeSport acknowledges that childhood sexual abuse is fundamentally different from other harms when it comes to reporting timelines. Many states have passed “revival window legislation,” which temporarily reopens the statute of limitations to allow older claims to be filed, particularly in child sexual abuse cases. Much like those states, SafeSport holds that a clock should not run out on a predator only because a victim was not ready or able to come forward. This reality shaped the creation of SafeSport’s reporting structure, which is intended to prioritize athlete protection.[6] As the system continues to evolve, it focuses on balancing fairness and due process with athlete safety, signaling a broader shift in sports governance toward accountability and the prevention of abuse.[7]
Understanding SafeSport helps athletes and families recognize misconduct, know their rights, and respond effectively – much like knowing how to file a workplace complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Center (“EEOC”) or a labor grievance with the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”). Many young athletes and families participate in programs governed by SafeSport without fully understanding the protections available to them or the steps for reporting abuse. In practice, the process typically begins by filing a complaint through SafeSport’s online portal or hotline (see here), which prompts an initial review and may lead to an investigation, and, if appropriate, disciplinary action. When submitting a complaint, individuals are generally asked to provide identifying information about the accused (if known), a description of the alleged misconduct, relevant dates or locations, and any available supporting details such as witness names or documentation. Additionally, complaints may be submitted anonymously and do not require full proof at the outset, as SafeSport determines whether further investigation is warranted based on the information provided.[8] Ultimately, the process is designed to lower the barrier to reporting so athletes are not in fear of retaliation or avoid reporting all together due to their unfamiliarity or lack of access to legal procedures.[9]
SafeSport represents a shift in how the U.S. sports system addresses abuse, providing a centralized, athlete-centered model of accountability.[10] Between its creation and December 2023, SafeSport received over 24,000 reports of potential abuse and found violations involving nearly 2,200 adults, many of whom have been permanently removed from the sports community.[11] These statistics demonstrate that SafeSport has meaningfully expanded the infrastructure for reporting and addressing abuse in U.S. athletics.. SafeSport ensures misconduct is formally reported, investigated, and sanctioned, rather than left to individual organizations that may face conflicts of interest or uneven enforcement. As a result, SafeSport has reshaped expectations for how misconduct is reported and responded to across U.S. athletics, embedding accountability more firmly into the structure of sport.
[1] Joshua Barajas, 6 Ways Officials Failed to Stop Larry Nassar’s Abuse, PBS NEWS (Dec. 12, 2018), https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/6-ways-officials-failed-to-stop-larry-nassars-abuse.
[2] Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-126, 132 Stat. 318 (2018), https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/534.
[3] USA Fencing, FenceSafe, https://www.usafencing.org/fencesafe.
[4] U.S. CTR. FOR SAFESPORT, Understanding the New Structure of SafeSport, SWIMMING WORLD (Aug. 2017), https://swimswam.com/u-s-center-for-safesport-understanding-the-new-structure-of-safesport/.
[5] Id.
[6] U.S. GOV’T ACCOUNTABILITY OFF., Amateur Athletes: The U.S. Center for SafeSport’s Response and Resolution Process for Reporting Abuse, GAO-21-128R (2020), https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-128r.
[7] Grace Kier, Three Years on, Center for SafeSport Faces Controversy, Pulitzer Ctr. (Apr. 22, 2020), https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/three-years-center-safesport-faces-controversy/
[8] U.S. Ctr. for SafeSport, Report a Concern, https://uscenterforsafesport.org/report-a-concern/.
[9] Jennifer S. Bard, Reforming the Culture of Amateur Athletics After Larry Nassar: The Promise and Limits of SafeSport, 22 SCHOLAR 1 (2020), https://commons.stmarytx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1441&context=thescholar.
[10] Will Graves, SafeSport Faces Scrutiny Amid Concerns Over Delays and Transparency, ASSOCIATED PRESS (Nov. 17, 2023), https://apnews.com/article/us-center-for-safesport-ceo-colon-15c503d7bb379a4921b70447e30eb10f.
[11] Ben Wilhelm, U.S. Center for SafeSport: A Primer, Cong. Rsch. Serv. IF12467 (2024), https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12467
