25 November 2024 – On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reaffirms its commitment to safe sport by announcing the publication of its third consensus statement on safeguarding and interpersonal violence in sport.
Published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), the 2024 IOC Consensus Statement on Interpersonal Violence and Safeguarding in Sport is grounded in a review that retrieved over 24,000 citations in nine languages. This statement builds on the evidence base with updated strategies and insights, integrating a surge in safeguarding research advancement, including:
- a new socioecological model of interpersonal violence in sport;
- the voices and perspectives of athletes – recognising their vital wisdom in creating effective safeguarding practices;
- an expanded focus – accounting for the many societal influences on sport; and diverse experiences of ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, children and individuals with a disability.
The new consensus statement also outlines specific interventions for prevention and response.
Written collaboratively by 15 international experts, including athlete representation and with the expertise of Professors Yetsa Adebodunde Tuakli-Wosornu from Stanford University and Daniel Rhind from Loughborough University as Chair and Co-chair, this updated consensus statement represents a global effort to advance safe sport and safeguard all participants.
Kirsty Burrows, Head of the IOC Safe Sport Unit, calls this new consensus statement: “the pinnacle of our leadership in this space, and fundamental to our work looking forwards,” adding: “We convened the leading experts to set the agenda based on what the science tells us – not just ideas we hope will work,” underscoring the IOC’s reliance on rigorous scientific research to guide its policies and initiatives.
Key Points
The consensus statement provides five main recommendations that highlight the collective responsibility to eliminate interpersonal violence in sport:
- Address safe sport as everybody’s responsibility
- Recognise that safe sport is for all within the sports ecosystem
- Encourage awareness, adoption and implementation of current scientific knowledge on safeguarding in sport
- Encourage sport that is athlete-centred, emphasising mutual care and respect
- Outreach to unheard voices and integrate global perspectives into safe sport
“As a Ghanaian athlete abroad, I saw and still see sport’s duality up close. Though imperfect, sport offers unparalleled promise because it belongs to all of us. Whether playing, coaching or watching, sport connects us. This paper attempts to break a complex issue down to its roots, so readers more readily recognise interpersonal violence in sport is something we can solve together, and addressing it benefits everyone.” Professor Yetsa Adebodunde Tuakli-Wosornu, Chair.
The 2024 consensus statement evidences the significant progress which has been made in our understanding of the antecedents, nature and consequences of interpersonal violence in sport. There is now a clear need to conduct more solutions-focused research to evidence what helps to create safe sport in different sporting contexts. This in turn can help to ensure that our collective drive to go Faster, aim Higher and to be Stronger – Together, is realised in and through the context of safe sport.
Professor Daniel Rhind
Building on a strong foundation
Today’s announcement builds on nearly 20 years of the IOC’s leadership in the development of safe sport policies, striving to ensure that all athletes can train and compete in safe environments. The IOC’s first consensus statement on safeguarding in sport was published in 2007. As understanding deepened, a second statement followed in 2016, expanding the scope to include physical abuse, psychological abuse, neglect and hazing, and also introduced the definition of Safe Sport, emphasising the need for safe sporting environments at all levels of athletic participation.
The consensus statement lays the scientific foundation for the IOC’s initiatives related to strengthening safeguarding in and through sport. This includes the Safe Sport Regional Hub Initiative, for which the first Steering Committee meeting was held on 20 November 2024 – World Children’s Day.
The priority and focus that the IOC places on promoting safe sport across the Olympic Movement were showcased at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where the IOC introduced the most comprehensive package of mental health and safeguarding initiatives, services and infrastructure ever seen at an Olympic or sporting event. This included, among other initiatives, establishing a network of over 150 Athlete Welfare Officers within National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs) at the Games, to ensure that all athletes had access to mental health and safeguarding support adapted to their specific local contexts.
Find out more about the IOC’s work on mental health and safeguarding
