Athlete Safety

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic community is committed to providing a positive, healthy and safe environment for American athletes that is free from emotional, physical and sexual abuse.  To protect and ensure the safety of athletes – regardless of age, gender or stage of development – the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and member National Governing Bodies are under the jurisdiction of an independent entity, the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

How To Report a Concern

The USOPC recognizes it can be difficult to report an allegation of misconduct and strives to remove barriers to reporting. Reports can be made via online form, email or phone, and can be made anonymously. In case of an emergency, call 911 immediately.

U.S. Center For SafeSport


U.S. Center For SafeSport

The Center accepts all reports of sexual abuse and child abuse within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement.Report here if you have reasonable suspicion of sexual misconduct or harassment, child abuse (including child sexual abuse), or intimate relationships involving an imbalance of power. The Center also accepts reports of emotional and physical misconduct (including but not limited to bullying, hazing, stalking, and harassment) within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Reports of emotional and physical misconduct can also be reported directly to your sport’s national governing body (NGB). If you would like to call the Center to report a concern, please call 833-5US-SAFE(587-7233).

USOPC Security and Athlete Safety Reporting Portal

USOPC Security and Athlete Safety Reporting Portal

Report here if you are aware of or have experienced emotional abuse, physical abuse, a violation of the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP), or have any security concerns. The USOPC will refer allegations of sexual misconduct and child abuse to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Allegations of child abuse will also be reported to law enforcement. The USOPC will refer allegations of emotional or physical abuse or violations of the MAAPP that do not fall under its jurisdiction to the U.S. Center for SafeSport and/or the appropriate National Governing Body. To report to the USOPC over the phone, please call 719-866-3869.

Law Enforcement

All cases of suspected emotional, physical or sexual abuse of a minor (under the age of 18) must be reported to law enforcement (or in some states child protective services) immediately. The appropriate agency is most often the local law enforcement office where the incident occurred. Filing a reporting with the U.S Center for SafeSport or the USOPC does not satisfy the obligation to report to law enforcement

Additionally, if either party is a participant in the U.S. Olympic or Paralympic movements, a report must be filed with the U.S. Center for SafeSport. 

*UPDATED* USOPC Athlete Safety Policy

The USOPC Athlete Safety Policy applies to USOPC Participants (as defined in Section 2 of the policy). The policy includes mandatory reporting and training and education requirements, defines Prohibited Conduct, and outlines the USOPC’s Response and Resolution Policy for allegations of Prohibited Conduct that fall under the jurisdiction of the USOPC. Of note in the policy are the following sections related to response and resolution:
  • Section 3.2: Prohibition on Interference
  • Section 5: Definitions of Prohibited Conduct to include Retaliation
  • Section 6: Mandatory Reporting requirements
  • Section 7: Outlines Intake, Investigations, and Initial Resolution Proceedings to include referrals of reports to the Center and the NGBs, jurisdictional notifications to reporting parties, response to requests from the Center, and response and resolution of allegations of Prohibited Conduct.  
  • Sections 8 - 12: Includes policy on Temporary Measures, Sanctions, Hearings, and loss of benefits due to Temporary Measures or Sanctions. 

This current update to the policy includes clarification on athletes who are Participants of the USOPC from internally managed sports, and includes additional detail for the definition of retaliation, intake and routing of reports, implementation and communication of Temporary Measures, and data reporting to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. 

Read the USOPC Athlete Safety Policy.

USOPC Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP)

The Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP) is a collection of prevention and training policies that bind adult Participants and organizations in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. The USOPC strictly adheres to the MAAPP, which establishes clear requirements for interactions between adult Participants and Minor Athletes. All one-on-one interactions between adult Participants and Minor Athletes must be observable and interruptible.

Read the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP).

Suspended Individuals & Disciplinary Records

The U.S. Center for SafeSport maintains a centralized database of suspended and banded individuals, and disciplinary records of sexual misconduct and abuse cases that have been adjudicated by the Center and National Governing Bodies.

Suspended Individuals

U.S. Center for SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database

FAQs

If you hear, observe, experience or learn of any emotional, physical or sexual conduct that you feel may violate the SafeSport Code of Conduct – report it, even if the incident happened in the past or if you are unsure if it violates the code. By reporting, you play an important role in directing the impacted individuals to trained professionals who can offer the best assistance and support.  

For members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements, it is required by federal law to report any form of abuse involving a minor to both the U.S. Center for SafeSport and law enforcement (or in some states child protective services) within 24 hours. However, given the variability in state law and to address any imminent risk to the minor, we direct any individual who has reason to suspect any form of child abuse to report it immediately.

After a report is submitted, jurisdiction is then established either by the U.S. Center for SafeSport or by the sport’s National Governing Body. The entity with jurisdiction is then responsible for response and resolution. Often, third-party reporters will not find out what happens with a case once they make a report. We realize you care, but these details are to remain confidential to ensure the safety and discretion of all parties involved, while upholding the integrity of the investigation.
The SafeSport Code establishes consistent standards of response and resolution to abuse and misconduct claims across the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, whose affiliated individuals must comply with policies and procedures as defined by the Code.
The USOPC's Athlete Safety Policy applies to USOPC employees, coaches, contracted staff, volunteers, board members, committee and task force members, and other individuals working with athletes or other sport participants while at a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, or a USOPC-sponsored or delegation event; athletes training and/or residing at an OPTC or a delegation event; individuals the USOPC formally authorizes, approves or appoints (a) to position of authority over; or (b) in frequent contact with athletes. It prohibits all forms of misconduct, including sexual, emotional, physical, bullying, harassment and hazing as set out in the SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements as adopted by the U.S. Center for SafeSport. 
In 2010, the USOPC determined that sexual and physical abuse warranted greater attention and convened a working group of internal and external experts to provide recommendations about how to improve the community's prevention and response efforts. As the recommendations were implemented, the USOPC concluded that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements would benefit from the creation of an independent entity dedicated to investigating and resolving all allegations of sexual abuse associated with any of the USOPC's recognized NGBs.