Deconstructing Safeguarding in Sport

Power, Dependency, and Harm in Elite Sport

Safeguarding failures in elite sport are rarely accidental — they are produced by systems built on power, reward, and dependency. In this episode, we examine the specific safeguarding risks faced by elite athletes, exploring how pursuit of excellence, early specialisation, and hierarchical coach–athlete relationships can create conditions in which abuse is enabled and normalised. The discussion considers how vulnerability begins long before elite success, often from childhood, as athletes enter reward-based systems that demand compliance in exchange for opportunity. A central focus is the normalisation of harm within elite environments. The episode explores how emotional, psychological, sexual, and digital violence can become embedded in sporting cultures, leading athletes to tolerate abuse as part of performance. Parallels are drawn with coercive control and domestic violence, highlighting how fear of exclusion and loss of identity can trap athletes within harmful systems. The conversation also examines how digital platforms facilitate grooming and abuse beyond institutional oversight, and why current safeguarding education frequently fails to reflect the lived realities of elite athletes. Instead, it argues for safeguarding approaches that prioritise agency, credible reporting pathways, and human-centred roles embedded within sport systems. This episode features Katherine Starr, two-time Olympian and legal theorist, whose work bridges lived experience and legal analysis to expose systemic abuse and redefine athlete protection. This episode was recorded in August 2025. Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: * "Rescue Me". Katherine Starr (2022) * "Spoilsports: Understanding and Preventing Sexual Exploitation in Sport" by Celia H. Brackenridge. Routledge (2001). ____ Trigger warning - This podcast includes references to interpersonal violence, including personal accounts of abuse, harassment, and harm experienced by children and adults. Some listeners may find this distressing. Please take care while listening, pause or step away if needed, and consider accessing appropriate support if these topics affect you. Credits * Ideation and hosting: SCORE Sport Think Tank * Sound, music, and post-production: Ryan Lobigs * Visual identity: Natalia Plaza Sánchez Any questions or comments? Get in touch [https://forms.gle/45x2uAUjdNcmBk4XA] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/score-sport-think-tank/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Online Abuse and Safeguarding in Sport

Safeguarding in sport increasingly extends beyond physical spaces — yet online abuse remains poorly regulated and inconsistently addressed. In this episode, we examine online abuse as a form of interpersonal violence in sport, exploring how digital environments have become inseparable from athletes’ professional, social, and psychological lives. The discussion unpacks what constitutes online abuse, from harassment and hate speech to doxing, public shaming, and technology-facilitated violence, and how these behaviours can result in real-world harm. A central focus is the false divide between “online” and “offline” harm. The episode explores how constant exposure to hostile digital content affects athlete welfare, performance, mental health, and physical safety, and why the normalisation of abuse within sporting cultures poses long-term risks. It also examines gaps in existing legal and regulatory frameworks, highlighting the absence of a coherent international approach and the tension between safeguarding obligations and freedom of expression. The conversation considers current responses — including reactive moderation tools and major event-based interventions — and questions whether these measures address root causes. Instead, it argues for proactive safeguarding strategies that explicitly include digital spaces within prevention, reporting, and accountability systems. This episode features Emma Kavanagh, sport psychologist and researcher specialising in interpersonal violence and online abuse in sport, and Kim Barker, legal scholar and expert on online violence and digital regulation. The episode was recorded in August 2025. Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: • Sinclair, G., & Lynn, T., (eds) The Game Beyond the Screen: A Primer on Online Abuse in Sports. (Springer, 2026). ____ Trigger warning - This podcast includes references to interpersonal violence, including personal accounts of abuse, harassment, and harm experienced by children and adults. Some listeners may find this distressing. Please take care while listening, pause or step away if needed, and consider accessing appropriate support if these topics affect you. Credits * Ideation and hosting: SCORE Sport Think Tank * Sound, music, and post-production: Ryan Lobigs * Visual identity: Natalia Plaza Sánchez Any questions or comments? Get in touch [https://forms.gle/45x2uAUjdNcmBk4XA] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/score-sport-think-tank/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Remedy for Safeguarding in Sport: Process and Outcome

Safeguarding in sport often stops at investigation and sanction — yet justice also requires remedy. In this episode, we examine what remedy means in the context of safeguarding in sport, shifting the focus from disciplinary outcomes alone to processes that prioritise healing, safety, and systemic change. The discussion explores remedy as both an action and an outcome: a structured process designed to address harm, and the tangible measures that support recovery and reintegration. A central theme is responsibility. The episode looks at who is accountable for providing remedy — including sports governing bodies, national federations, clubs, and external actors — and how safeguarding systems frequently fail when remedy is treated as optional or secondary. It also examines the role of interim measures, transparency, and survivor agency in ensuring that safety is prioritised over procedural delay. The conversation challenges the idea of sport’s autonomy, questioning whether self-regulation is credible without full responsibility for human rights protections. Psychological safety emerges as both a remedial and preventative tool, highlighting the importance of cultures where concerns can be raised without fear. International standards, existing tools, and best practices are explored, alongside the limitations of current approaches and the need for culturally responsive models of healing. This episode features Kat Craig, social change advisor and human rights lawyer, CEO of Athlead, and a leading contributor to international work on remedy in sport. This episode was recorded in August 2025. Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: • “Roadmap to Remedy: Effective Responses to Abuse in Sport” by the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (2024). • “Belonging: The Ancient Code of Togetherness". Owen Eastwood. Quercus (2022). ____ Trigger warning - This podcast includes references to interpersonal violence, including personal accounts of abuse, harassment, and harm experienced by children and adults. Some listeners may find this distressing. Please take care while listening, pause or step away if needed, and consider accessing appropriate support if these topics affect you. Credits * Ideation and hosting: SCORE Sport Think Tank * Sound, music, and post-production: Ryan Lobigs * Visual identity: Natalia Plaza Sánchez Any questions or comments? Get in touch [https://forms.gle/45x2uAUjdNcmBk4XA] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/score-sport-think-tank/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Awareness Raising and Education for Safeguarding Sport

Safeguarding in sport is often addressed after harm occurs — but prevention depends on education, awareness, and power redistribution. In this episode, we examine the role of awareness-raising and education in building safe sport environments, questioning how safeguarding can move beyond reactive, scandal-driven responses toward proactive, human rights-centred systems. The discussion explores how educational programmes are currently designed, who they are intended for, and why generic approaches frequently fail to address real risks. A key focus is the need for tailored safeguarding education. The episode considers how different stakeholders — including children, coaches, parents, administrators, and boards — require distinct forms of training, adapted to local, cultural, and social contexts. Particular attention is given to intersectionality and the importance of starting from the margins, prioritising those most exposed to harm, including LGBTQ+ athletes, athletes with disabilities, and communities in the Global South. The conversation also addresses the absence of binding international safeguarding regulations, comparing education-based approaches with enforcement models used in anti-doping and match-fixing. Finally, it examines how awareness-raising can either instrumentalise survivors or genuinely empower them as agents of change. This episode features Joanna Maranhão, Olympic swimmer, human rights advocate, researcher, and survivor of abuse in sport, whose work spans legal reform, education, and international safeguarding advocacy. This episode was recorded in July 2025. Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: • IOC consensus statements: interpersonal violence and safeguarding in sport (2007, 2016, 2024). • Sports & Rights Alliance [https://sportandrightsalliance.org/] videos and resources. ____ Trigger warning - This podcast includes references to interpersonal violence, including personal accounts of abuse, harassment, and harm experienced by children and adults. Some listeners may find this distressing. Please take care while listening, pause or step away if needed, and consider accessing appropriate support if these topics affect you. Credits * Ideation and hosting: SCORE Sport Think Tank * Sound, music, and post-production: Ryan Lobigs * Visual identity: Natalia Plaza Sánchez Any questions or comments? Get in touch [https://forms.gle/45x2uAUjdNcmBk4XA] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/score-sport-think-tank/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Role of Sport Governing Bodies in Safeguarding Sport

International sports governing bodies (SGBs) sit at the centre of power in global sport — but what does that mean for safeguarding?  In this episode, we examine the role of sports governing bodies (SGBs) in shaping safeguarding systems, exploring what policies currently exist, how they are implemented, and where gaps continue to expose athletes and other sport actors to harm. The discussion looks at how safeguarding responsibilities are distributed across international federations, national bodies, and event organisers, and where governance structures weaken effective protection. A central focus is the balance between prevention and response. While education and awareness are frequently prioritised, the episode examines whether reporting mechanisms, investigations, and sanctions are sufficiently independent and robust. Questions of power, transparency, and cultural relevance emerge as key factors influencing whether safeguarding measures function in practice. The episode also examines how SGBs can work with other stakeholders and international organisations to strengthen safeguarding practice, highlighting where progress has been made — and where gaps remain. Ultimately, this discussion challenges sports leaders to move from administrative compliance to culture change and towards structural responsibility, and to lead by example in dismantling impunity across sport. This episode features Claudia Villa, a safeguarding and human rights expert with extensive experience across sport and humanitarian sectors, currently working with international organisations to develop and implement safeguarding standards. This episode was recorded in July 2025. Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: • “The Routledge Handbook of Mega-Sporting Events and Human Rights”, edited By William Rook, Daniela Heerdt. Routledge (2024). ____ Trigger warning - This podcast includes references to interpersonal violence, including personal accounts of abuse, harassment, and harm experienced by children and adults. Some listeners may find this distressing. Please take care while listening, pause or step away if needed, and consider accessing appropriate support if these topics affect you. Credits * Ideation and hosting: SCORE Sport Think Tank * Sound, music, and post-production: Ryan Lobigs * Visual identity: Natalia Plaza Sánchez Any questions or comments? Get in touch [https://forms.gle/45x2uAUjdNcmBk4XA] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/score-sport-think-tank/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.