Sports bodies should be taking lead in tackling abuse
THE past few years have seen a significant sea change within sport. There has been a realisation that sport must be a safe place for individuals and that, sadly, in countless cases, it has not been.
The revelation about the widespread sexual abuse by USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar may be the highest-profile case but there are many, many more examples of coaches abusing their position.
There is now the acknowledgement that abuse cases may not have been dealt with appropriately in the first instance, and UK Athletics announced last week they were to review all historical safeguarding cases involving sexual activity or grooming with a child or adult at risk where this did not result in a permanent ban.
It is likely to involve 30 to 40 cases, dating back to 2004.
This is, clearly, an encouraging and positive step forward.
Of course, the question has to be asked as to why any coach who has been convicted of such serious offences would be in a position to return to the sport at all but at least action is being taken.
This development is, at least in part, down to the campaigning of Kyniska Advocacy, the organisation which was co-founded by Scottish athletics internationalist Mhairi MacLennan.
In these pages last weekend, I spoke with MacLennan, who has been the victim of abuse by a coach, about her desire to push for change.
That a still-active athlete has the determination to devote time and energy to such a cause, which has, at times, been to the detriment of her athletics, is impressive.
Without athletes such as MacLennan, the American gymnasts and the other individuals who have spoken out, it’s hard to imagine there would have been such progress.
Too often, it is still the athletes who are pushing for change rather than those running the sport.
There remains, perhaps understandably but inexcusably, a sense within some sports that any revelations about abuse would be so damaging that they are better not being uncovered.
UK Athletics must be applauded for taking positive action; it would have been all too easy to have let sleeping dogs lie but instead, they have recognised that the absence of lifetime bans in so many cases is a cause for concern.
The issue remains, however, of how to ensure sport is a universally safe place. It is almost impossible to create a water-tight environment. Coaching requires a level of physical contact, as well as, often, one-to-one sessions, meaning it is hard to ensure there is no scope for abuse.
Despite that, though, there must be a bigger effort to make sport a safer environment.
As MacLennan herself said, athletics is doing considerable work in this area but many sports are lagging behind.
Individuals like MacLennan cannot be relied upon to do the brunt of the work when it comes to ensuring change.
The excellent development over recent years, thanks to things like the Me Too movement, is that there has been a culture shift ensuring that individuals are not nearly as powerless as they once were.
The days of women and girls, and less often, boys, being dismissed are almost completely gone but there is no doubt there remains a fear about speaking out.
MacLennan, who is an intelligent, educated and articulate woman, admitted she was extremely scared about breaking her silence, so for those who are less confident, it must be an even more daunting prospect.
To speak up about abuse, almost always, turns into the athlete’s word against the coach’s. For some, maybe even many athletes, going through the ordeal of speaking up and having to relive such trauma, will be too much to face.
UK Athletics are leading the way when it comes to trying to make their sport safer but there is still a long way to go until sport as a whole is a safe environment for everyone who is a part of it.
AND ANOTHER THING
FOR all the controversy that preceded this year’s Australian Open – the tennis was barely mentioned in the week leading up to the event thanks to Novak Djokovic and deportation-gate – any fears that the tournament itself would be devalued or tainted as a result of the saga were quickly allayed.
The tennis over the past fortnight has ensured the men’s world No.1 has not been missed and for me cherry on top would be a Rafa Nadal victory today.
Were the Spaniard to win, and move past Djokovic and Roger Federer on to 21 Grand Slam titles, it would perhaps be the greatest achievement the sport has seen.
For a 35-year-old, who has admitted that as recently as a few months ago he was unsure he would be back on the tour, his comeback has been a joy to watch.
With all the talk of Djokovic potentially reaching No.21, and the possibility of one last flash of brilliance from Federer at some point to nudge him on to 21, Nadal has often been forgotten.
In the build-up to this year’s tournament in Melbourne, few experts, if any, picked the clay specialist for the title, even after Djokovic’s deportation.
A Nadal win would not only be one for the history books, it would also be a victory for sportsmanship, with his conduct in stark contrast to that of Djokovic’s.
For anyone looking for a sporting role model, you could not do better than
Nadal.