Deconstructing Safeguarding in Sport

Safeguarding in sport did not emerge overnight — it is the result of long social, cultural, and political struggles.In this episode, we examine safeguarding in sport through a historical lens, exploring how modern sport became institutionalised, why violence was once accepted and even celebrated, and why safeguarding continues to face resistance today.The conversation traces the development of organised sport alongside industrialisation and globalisation, when shared rules became necessary as athletes began competing across regions and nations. From its early stages, sport followed two parallel paths: as commercial entertainment and as a tool for education, health, and social development — the foundation of the Olympic ideal.Historically, physical dominance, endurance of pain, and emotional toughness were valued as sporting virtues. Over time, changing social norms, legal accountability, and advances in medical knowledge led to efforts to reduce harm, including age and weight categories, limits on extreme aggression, and modern concussion protocols. Safeguarding gradually emerged from these shifts.The episode also examines why violence remains more tolerated in commercial sport, where aggression can be profitable and spectacular, and how this contributes to resistance against safeguarding initiatives. A key theme is the enduring link between masculinity and violence, and why safeguarding — with its emphasis on care, cooperation, and emotional safety — is often portrayed as incompatible with sport traditions.This episode features Dr Bruce Kidd, former Olympian, academic, and human rights advocate, who offers a realistic yet hopeful perspective on progress, fragility, and the need for continued accountability.This episode was recorded in August 2025.Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: • “The long struggle for safe sport in Canada”, in Julie Stevens (Ed.), Safe Sport: Critical Issues and Practices (St. Catharine’s, Ontario: Centre for Sport Capacity, Brock University, Open Education Series, 2022). • “A Runner’s Journey”. Bruce Kidd. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2021.

Safeguarding in sport cannot be understood without examining gender.In this episode, we explore the relationship between gender, violence, and safeguarding in sport, combining lived experience with sociological analysis to examine how sport systems reproduce power, exclusion, and harm.The conversation begins with the guest’s experience as an elite athlete, where overtraining, forced training while injured, and withheld medical information were normalised in the pursuit of performance. Her health was repeatedly deprioritised, leading to long-term physical and psychological consequences. Dependent on coaches and medical staff, she felt she had little choice but to comply — and leaving sport ultimately meant losing both her career and her identity.This experience led her to research gender as a system of power that structures institutions, including sport. The episode examines how sport has historically been organised around binary categories that reinforce masculine dominance, and how these foundations continue to shape governance, inclusion, and safeguarding practices today.The discussion challenges the idea that sport is always a force for good, highlighting how harm and self-harm are often reframed as discipline or toughness. It also addresses contemporary debates around transgender and intersex athletes, including the return of mandatory sex testing, examined here as a serious safeguarding concern.This episode features Madeleine Pape, sociologist, Olympian, and professor at the University of Lausanne. She specializes in sports integrity, regulation and gender in sport, the politics of inclusion, and the study of sex and gender in biomedical and sports sciences.This episode was recorded in August 2025.Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: • “Taking the Field: Women, Men, and Sports”. Michael A. Messner. University of Minnesota Press (2002). • “Sex Testing: Gender Policing in Women's Sport”. Lindsay Parks Pieper. Illinois: University of Illinois Press (2016). • “Fair and Safe Eligibility Criteria for Women's Sport: The Proposed Testing Regime Is Not Justified, Ethical, or Viable”. Williams, Heffernan, Herbert, et al.Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports (2024).

Safeguarding in sport is increasingly governed by legal frameworks — yet protection on the ground remains uneven.In this episode, we examine the legal landscape of safeguarding in sport, exploring what standards and policies already exist, where gaps remain, and what is still needed to create safe sport environments. The discussion looks at the relationship between international frameworks and national regulations, highlighting inconsistencies, overlaps, and areas where accountability breaks down.A central theme is enforcement. While many sport organisations have safeguarding policies, legal tools to prosecute violence committed by sport actors are often underused or poorly coordinated. The episode explores what options exist when interpersonal violence occurs, and the roles played by sport governing bodies, courts, and institutions such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport.The conversation also examines whether anti-doping systems can serve as a model for safeguarding. Unlike anti-doping, safeguarding lacks binding international agreements, shared enforcement mechanisms, and clear legal authority. The episode discusses what lessons could be drawn — and where safeguarding fundamentally differs.Broader legal and human rights frameworks used by international organisations are also explored as potential benchmarks for sport, alongside the responsibilities of sport governing bodies in prevention, response, and accountability.This episode features Nikki Dryden, Olympic swimmer and human rights and sports lawyer, whose work spans safeguarding, gender inclusion, and athlete rights across international sport systems.This episode was recorded in July 2025.Further readings recommended by the guest in this episode: • Allison Quigley's articles in the British Medical Journal about organisational changes that have to happen for safe sport to exist. • "Rescue Me". Katherine Starr (2022). • Andrew Jennings’ books.

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).

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 videos and resources.

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).