• While sport is often considered to be a safe, healthy environment that contributes to the positive development of young people,^1,2 it is also an area where violence can manifest itself in various ways, including sexual assault.³ It should be noted, however, that the term “sexual assault” is not used very often in the scientific literature on sport. Instead, authors employ the term “sexual abuse.”¹
• Sexual abuse of young people in sport is a fairly new field of research and, unfortunately, the studies undertaken to date have methodological limitations that must be taken into account. Definitions of sexual abuse vary from one study to the next, depending on the country or even the Canadian province in which the studies were conducted. In addition, the protocols used to determine the prevalence and characteristics of sexual abuse in sport are presented essentially in terms of frequency of occurrence (%).⁴ Therefore, we have only limited information on the possible links between certain variables such as gender, sporting level, type of sport, and so forth. More research is needed to gain a better understanding of the risk factors for sexual abuse in sport, sexual abuse of boys, and prevention. Nonetheless, it is already clear that sexual abuse exists in sport and that it deserves more attention

Victims of sexual abuse in sport

• The studies we currently have at our disposal show that between 2% and 8% of athletes (both minors and young adults) are victims of sexual assault within the context of sport.^5,6 Based on certain hypotheses put forward in the past, it was said that elite young athletes were more likely to be sexually assaulted than their lower-level counterparts.⁷ This claim has since been confirmed by further research.⁶ Apparently, the type of sport played by young people has no impact on their risk of being victimized.⁸
• It has also been noted that girls are sexually abused in sport more often than boys are.³ However, few of the studies conducted to date have included boys in their samples since the male perpetrator-female victim paradigm has influenced certain methodological choices.^9,10 Furthermore, the gender differences observed may be due to the fact that boys are not very inclined to report this type of abuse.¹¹ In any case, sexual abuse of boys in sport deserves more attention from the scientific community.¹²

Perpetrators of sexual abuse in sport

• Even though there are major similarities between sexual abusers both inside and outside sport, people who commit sexual abuse within the context of sport display certain specific characteristics.¹ In conducting their analysis of 159 cases of sexual abuse in sport reported in the print media, Brackenridge et al. (2008)¹³ underscored the fact that the perpetrators were coaches, teachers or instructors in 98% of the cases. According to these same authors, the age of the abusers ranged from 16 to 63 years (average of 34.2 years) and nearly one third were married (29%) and had children (31%). Several other studies have shown that most perpetrators of sexual abuse in sport are male, even though women have also been shown to commit this type of abuse in the context of sport.¹⁴

Sexual abuse in sport

• The settings in which sexual abuse occurs seem to be more or less the same for both boys and girls. Sexual abuse happens mainly in places where sports activities are carried out, in the home of the abuser, during training sessions, at social events not connected to sport or during competitions away from home.³
• Studies on sexual abuse in sport indicate that abusers use a range of strategies to achieve their ends.³ Brackenridge (2001) explains that a relationship of trust is gradually established between a young athlete and a person in a position of authority. Over time, the boundaries of the relationship between the young athlete and the person in authority are crossed, leading to a situation of sexual abuse. The strategies adopted by abusers are designed to persuade or force young people to enter into a sexual relationship with them. The abusers make sure that the young athlete will cooperate and keep the situation a secret.¹⁵This process reflects the power that a coach can have over a young athlete.^5,16,17

Currently available studies suggest that certain characteristics of young athletes, coaches and the sports environment may increase the vulnerability of young people in sport to sexual abuse.¹⁷ However, it goes without saying that all young athletes are vulnerable to sexual abuse and that the presence of the characteristics identified in these studies does not automatically lead to victimization. That being said, research on the experiences of young athletes who have been sexually abused has shown that certain characteristics or factors consistently recur. The factors fall into five categories:

1. factors related to people involved in sports (particularly coaches);
2. factors related to the young person concerned;
3. factors related to the coach-athlete relationship;
4. factors related to the culture of sport; and  
5. factors related to institutions that oversee and regulate sport (sports clubs or sport federations).

People involved in sports

Sexual abuse of young people in sport is perpetrated mostly by men and usually by coaches.³ Coaches who commit sexual abuse often have high status in their sport or their sports organization, whether in their city, province or country. They have a good reputation and have won the trust of parents and young people.¹⁷

Young athletes

To date, available statistics have shown that most of the victims of sexual abuse in sport are young female athletes,⁵ although a large proportion of boys are also victimized.¹² Researchers have noted that young people who have been sexually abused in the context of sport often have low self-esteem, strained relationships with their parents, and eating disorders. In addition, they are often high performance (elite) athletes.⁶

Coach-athlete relationship

Coaches have a major influence on young athletes.¹⁷ While this can be extremely positive in most cases, coaches sometimes overstep the boundaries of a healthy relationship between themselves and the young people under their responsibility.¹⁸ If coaches do not use their power properly, the young athletes they supervise can find themselves in a situation of vulnerability. This is because young athletes often place a great deal of trust in their coaches, and ill-intentioned individuals can take advantage of this trust to exert their power and dominance, creating a major risk for sexual abuse.¹⁵

The culture of sport

Certain inappropriate behaviours like fighting, which are considered unacceptable in most contexts, take on a certain normalcy in a sports environment. Likewise, injuries and pain are viewed as being normal.¹⁶ According to several authors, a number of sexual abuse risk factors are related to the culture of sport itself, including the blind trust that certain parents have in their child’s coach and the importance attached to the performance of young athletes at the expense of their well-being.⁵

Sports institutions and organizations

Studies on measures to prevent and manage sexual abuse within sports organizations suggest that, despite the efforts deployed to protect young athletes, major improvements are needed to provide these young people with optimum protection against sexual abuse. The conclusions of this research show, among other things, that sports organizations lack the resources and knowledge needed to prevent and act on sexual abuse. Moreover, they do not always perform adequate screening when hiring people to work in sport and few have implemented sexual abuse prevention measures.^19,20,21

The consequences of sexual abuse of young athletes are similar to those generally observed among victims of sexual abuse in other contexts.²² They are major and fall into two categories: psychological consequences (e.g. social embarrassment, problems establishing social ties, impacts on family and friends, lowered self-esteem, alcohol and drug use) and physical consequences (e.g. eating and sleep disorders).^7,20 In addition, some of the consequences observed among young athletes have a direct impact on their participation in sport: for example, these young people may decide to leave their sport or to take up another one, suffer a decline in performance, fail to attend training sessions, or find it hard to concentrate during training.²³

• More attention needs to be paid to the prevention of sexual abuse in sport.²¹ Ideally, prevention efforts should focus on a range of things:
  • factors that influence the implementation of preventive measures in sports organizations (training of sports administrators, leadership, support for organizations);
  • measures to prevent sexual abuse (criminal record checks, behaviour management rules, awareness raising); and
  • case management measures (disciplinary measures, resources for victims, complaints procedures).²¹
• In addition, it is essential to not tolerate behaviour in sport that would be considered unacceptable in other contexts, such as day-care centres or schools.
• Parents can also play a role in prevention by finding out what preventive measures are in place in the organization their child attends and by choosing sports organizations that give priority to the well-being of young people.

Last update: November 2012