Investigations are now being launched into how widespread the abuse and harassment of competitors is. This arises following the IAAF Council approving the position statement on protecting athletes as part of an ongoing athlete welfare campaign.
Dr Paolo Emilio Adami, Medical Manager of the IAAF’s Health and Science Department has said that the first thing that needs to be established is how big an issue this is within the sport.
In July 2018, more than 500 teenage athletes were surveyed at the World Under-20 Championships. The results preliminary findings found that incidents are ‘in line’ with the wider community.
Dr Paolo Emilio Adami, also states that it would be neglecting the reality if they concluded that these events are not happening in sport because an individual’s behaviour tends to be consistent across all parts of their life.
The results are not expected to be presented to the IAAF Council until December 2018 and it will be at this point that we will know more about how widespread the abuse and harassment of competitors really is.
As part of the survey, it has been reported that the independent Athletics Integrity Unit is also taking steps to expand its reporting system for anyone with knowledge of misconduct in the sport.
Currently, anyone can report an integrity issue in the sport via the AIU website. Any incident of abuse or harassment reported will be dealt with by the AIU, which operates separately from the IAAF.
In addition, here at Farleys Solicitors, we advise and represent many clients who have experienced abuse and we are witnessing increasing numbers of victims who approach us to seek financial redress for the physical and psychological pain that they have endured as a result of the abuse they have suffered.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of abuse, our team is highly experienced and specialises in speaking directly with victims or their family members in confidence. Call 0330 134 6430 or contact the team by email.
