There would be no sport without athletes, but all too often they have gone unheard.
That is changing following Congressional passage of legislation designed to put competitors in a better position to advocate for what they think is important, with more representation on their sports’ National Governing Bodies. At the same time, it means greater control of the way coaches and sports executives operate.
The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act, which must be signed by the President to become law, would enable Congress to decertify NGBs for cause, and it provides more money for the U.S. Center for SafeSport. That agency’s mandate involves protecting athletes from bullying, harassment, hazing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct.
The legislation proposes that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee increase funding for SafeSport to $20 million annually, from its $7.5 million allocation in 2019 and $11.5 million this year.
The bill states nothing shall preclude the Center from imposing interim measures or sanctions on an individual before an opportunity for a hearing or arbitration, something that has been controversial in the past. It also does not require the Center to meet a burden of proof higher than the preponderance of the evidence against an accused athlete.
People who deal with SafeSport, either as a victim or the accused, often have trouble understanding what is happening. That’s because the process is far different than the judicial proceedings with which they are more familiar, whether from personal experience or watching it on TV.
In an effort to determine how athletes view the agency and how they think it could be improved, SafeSport is seeking their answers through an online survey. It is part of a collaborative effort between a dozen national governing bodies, Paralympic sport organizations, the USOPC and athlete representatives from various sports.
“This is the first time Safe Sport is asking for feedback from a large group of athletes from every sport. It is anonymous, and being gathered and processed by a third party,” said Ali Brock, the 2016 Olympic dressage team bronze medalist who is the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s athlete representative for the Olympic disciplines.
Discussing the survey, she noted, “The last two questions (one asking for written feedback about the organization and the second about suggestions to improve it) are the most important if you want Safe Sport to know how you perceive, understand and have confidence in them as an organization and with the process for both the victims and the accused. All the information gathered will be shared with the NGBs and the athletes.
“This is your chance to help influence the direction Safe Sport heads in,” Ali advised.
The survey is open to U.S. Equestrian Federation members over 18 who compete. USEF will begin rolling out word of the survey this week, and those taking the 30-minute online survey will have until Nov. 15 to fill it out.
The Empowering Act, which gives Congress the option to dissolve the board of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, also calls for better athlete representation on the boards of NGBs.
The USEF already is working on that. The federation maintained the bill “will ensure a new standard of transparency and accountability” for the USOPC and NGBs, “providing stronger protections and representation for athletes participating in sport under USOPC administration.”
The legislation calls for increasing athlete representation on boards of directors and committees from 20 percent to 33.3 percent. While athlete reps hold four of the 19 seats on the USEF board, the federation will consider restructuring so athletes hold seven, or more than one-third, of the board seats. Doing the same for all USEF committees also is being considered.
Although mainly focused on protecting athletes in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics, the Empowering Act will also include increased legal aid for athletes in grievance processes.
In the bigger picture, meanwhile, it also enables Congress to decertify national governing bodies if they fail to abide by its provisions.
The International Olympic Committee, however, prohibits government interference in its National Olympic Committees, with interference potentially leading to a suspension, according to a story in the Inside.the Games newsletter.
The USOPC had initially expressed concern about the law, but USOPC President Sarah Hirshland said the law itself should not breach IOC rules.
However, she acknowledged if Congress were to act on the law and unseat members of the USOPC Board, the IOC may consider it a violation of the Olympic Charter.
“It is important to understand, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is a federally chartered organization and as such, Congress and the Federal Government has authority and that has existed for some time,” Hirshland said, according to Inside the Games.
“This bill does provide a provision that would allow Congress to essentially unseat the USOPC board. Should Congress take such an action, we do understand that the IOC may consider that a violation of the charter. But the bill itself as it is written, without that action being taken, is not a violation of the charter.”
At the same time she said, “we all understand the implications of that should the federal government make a decision to take action.”