Reporting abuse in sport: a question of power?

Solstad, Gerd Marie

doi:10.1080/16138171.2019.1655851

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The measures that have been initiated by the SFs in recent years seem to be directed toward detecting, reporting, and managing cases of misconduct, harm, and abuse toward young athletes. Reactive measures are important, but researchers have raised concerns about an over-reliance on systems of disclosures and sanctions to deter abuse because of the under-reporting and because it tends to place the onus for abuse prevention on the subjected, vulnerable individuals (often the athletes) (Mountjoy et al, 2016 ; Solstad, 2019 ; Komaki and Tuakli-Wosornu, 2021 ). This stresses the importance of measures to prevent sexual abuse and promote a safe sport culture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Policy to Practice: Measures Against Sexual Abuse by Swedish Sports Federations

Johansson

2022

Front. Sports Act. Living

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The sport movement must protect children and young athletes from all forms of abuse. However, research points to a disconnect between policy and implementation of policy against sexual abuse. No studies have investigated measures against sexual abuse in Swedish sport. The purpose of this study was to explore measures against sexual abuse in the 10 largest sports federations (SFs) for child and youth sport in Sweden. The study draws on interviews with representatives (n = 18) of the SFs and on a review of SFs' website content regarding sexual abuse and safe sport. Results show that the SFs have taken few or no measures against sexual abuse. Measures for safe sports vary in existence, development, and organization between the SFs, and many SFs are in the early stages of safe sport measures and practice. Although the SF representatives emphasize that sexual abuse is unacceptable, a conflict between making it visible or invisible emerges and creates a gap between policy and practice. Reproducing a culture of silence around sexual abuse in sports seems advantageously for SFs. Social and organizational factors that can debilitate safe sport measures and facilitate sexual abuse in sport are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Policy to Practice: Measures Against Sexual Abuse by Swedish Sports Federations

Johansson

2022

Front. Sports Act. Living

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“…How the discussions often seemed to gravitate towards sport-related implications of inappropriate coach-athlete interactions points to another issue. The importance of sport in young athletes' lives can, in itself, constitute a form of vulnerability (Demers et al 2021;Solstad 2019b), which can translate into reluctance to say or do something that potentially disturbs or damages social or achievement aspects of their sport community. Athletes might also have reasons tied to social and economic circumstances for not labelling an experience as sexual abuse.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Harassment or Just Coaching? Sport Students Making Sense of Possibly Sexualising Coach Behaviours

Strandbu

Solstad²,

Stefansen³

et al. 2022

Social Sciences

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Research has shown that athletes are divided in their assessment of possibly sexualising behaviours from coaches towards athletes. How they arrive at their conclusions has received less attention—yet it is crucial to understand as a basis for safeguarding measures. Using video-elicitation focus group interviews with sport students, we zoomed in on different types of ‘grey area’ situations involving coaches and athletes. We drew on social script theory to highlight the cultural tools sport students use to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable coaching behaviours. Our analyses showed that the students drew on two types of scripts in their interpretative work: (1) sport scripts, denoting templates for ‘normal’ coach–athlete interactions (typically with a performance and/or caring rationale), and (2) sexual harassment scripts, encompassing beliefs and expectations of how sexual transgressions play out and among whom. We discuss how the students evaluated concrete grey area situations by comparing and contrasting them with both scripts. In these assessments, the students relied on cues and clues from the portrayed interactions, including the gender of the coach and athlete and knowledge about the specific sport setting. Our analyses demonstrate how views about sexual harassment in sport relate to the specificities of the sport setting and the gendered social dynamics in the situation.

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“…If such obligations exist for elite women athletes, what might they include? It seems reasonable to expect women athletes to fight for equal pay (Archer and Prange 2019), and to rid sport of harassment and abuse (Brackenridge and Fasting 2008;Solstad 2019). Can trans women competing in elite sport expect their peers to act as allies and advocate for them?…”

Section: Requirements Of Allyshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allyship in Elite Women’s Sport

Teetzel

2020

Sport, Ethics and Philosophy

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Allyship in Elite Women's SportThroughout 2019, retired athletes Martina Navratilova (tennis), Sharron Davies (swimming), Kelly Holmes (athletics) and Paula Radcliffe (marathon) all spoke publically about what they perceive to be the unfairness of transwomen competing in women's elite sport. These successful athletes, all with a history of growing and promoting women's sport, were simultaneously celebrated for sharing their thoughts on a complex issue, and labelled transphobic for expressing anti-inclusive and transphobic views. Navratilova, particularly, despite her long history of fighting for inclusion and to end homophobia in sport, faced a severe backlash for expressing anti-trans rhetoric. This paper examines the concept of feminist allyship in the context of inclusion and fairness in sport. Conceptual clarification of what allyship involves and requires precedes an examination of whether athletes are obliged to promote inclusive sport. I argue that elite women athletes have an obligation to promote women's sport, but not one that extends as far as a requirement to actively act as allies. Being mandated to act as an ally, without full commitment, does more harm than good. To support this conclusion, I argue that: 1) past and present trans athlete eligibility rules endorsed by the IOC are problematic; 2) the typical arguments from unfairness and performance advantages fail to demonstrate why trans athletes should not be welcome to compete; but 3) a requirement of allyship requires more from women athletes than we can reasonably expect. Athletes thus are entitled to express their views, but sports organizations should be responsible for providing education to all athletes on the science and ethics of trans athlete inclusion.

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Reporting abuse in sport: a question of power?

Cited by 12 publications

References 32 publications

From Policy to Practice: Measures Against Sexual Abuse by Swedish Sports Federations

From Policy to Practice: Measures Against Sexual Abuse by Swedish Sports Federations

Sexual Harassment or Just Coaching? Sport Students Making Sense of Possibly Sexualising Coach Behaviours

Allyship in Elite Women’s Sport

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