Author, Dr. Yetsa A Tuakli-Wosornu from the Sports Equity Lab has partnered with #WeRideTogether to collaborate and create this athlete-centered IOC Consensus Dissemination Project, which unpacks and elaborates on critical points from the IOC Consensus. The Dissemination Project will provide a 10-part series that highlights key takeaways from the IOC Consensus with visuals, activities, and social content that can be tangibly applied and integrated into sporting communities. This series aligns with the values and mission of both the Sports Equity Lab and #WeRideTogether to promote awareness on the topic of abuse in sports, eliminate inequities in sport, and provide everyone with accessible information on positive values and best practices to keep sports safe and healthy.
As discussed by Dr. Tuakli-Wosornu in the Introduction to The People’s Guide to the 2024 IOC Safeguarding Consensus, “When we work together to create value for all participants within a system or team, we win more and we win well.”
Research shows that “Safe sporting environments and high-performance sporting success can go hand in hand”1, meaning that high performance, results, and medals are not mutually exclusive from safe and healthy cultures in sports. Rather, the emphasis on and prioritization of holistic athlete well-being and safety can bolster and improve sports performance, achievement, and sustainable sport for athletes, coaches, and organizations.
The myths or illusions that toxic, maladaptive practices that disempower and dismiss athlete wellbeing are necessary to win are busted. They are outdated (... and were never okay) and unnecessary. There is a better way–a more impactful and economical way to win and win well.
When we center athletes' voices and listen to what they want from their sporting experiences, we learn that second to “trying your best,” young athletes report “when coaches treat players with respect” as the most fun element of sport, with “winning” listed as kids' 48th priority. Orienting our sporting cultures to this responsible and strengths-based approach of building athletes holistically supports them to gain the extensive benefits of participating in sports, and promotes their sustainable and long-term participation.
Rather, when our coaching and organizational practices, and fiscal and societal systems supporting athletics overvalue and reward coaches from a results-oriented perspective, you may be winning, but at what cost? This orientation can make it easy for us all to ignore the abuse if there are victories on the scoreboard, or if the coach is a well-respected athlete. Instead, we can shift to evaluating and rewarding coaches, teams, and organizations for establishing empowering and safe environments for athletes in addition to wins. Canadian sports minister Pascale St-Onge gives language exemplifying this shift in redefining sports success demonstrating the cultural change needed.
The case that ‘safe sport can harmonize well’ with (elite) sports culture, including performance-related goals and continuous improvement seeking’ is simple2. The goals and values of safe sporting practices and achievement overlap and intersect. When athletes can train, practice, and compete in safe and healthy sporting environments and receive care and support from their coaches and organizations, they can focus on the skill and game at hand. Safe sport furthermore bolsters the athlete's holistic development regarding emotional intelligence and resilience in learning how to lose well and rebound in addition to winning well. On the contrary, when operating in a toxic environment, stress and trauma can negatively impact individual well-being performance, team culture, and results.
And, creating safe and healthy environments with proactive prevention and safeguarding essentials (which uphold ethical response and resolution to misconduct and abuse) does not have to be complicated! Best practices for safeguarding can be easily embedded into our sporting communities, just as how we all have automated washing our hands and wearing our seatbelts. For example, sporting organizations, coaches, and athletes can adopt and uphold a Code of Conduct, outlining clear acceptable behavioral expectations that align with safe sport and winning well. Be sure to post your Code of Conduct in their locker room, barn, boathouse, dugout, and by the pool so that everyone is on the same page about agreements for interpersonal interactions in their sporting environment.
Organizations and teams can use the #WeRideTogether Code of Conduct or fill out the Safeguarding Essentials Template (SET) Package to easily create your own! Additionally, coaches and athletes can reflect on ‘what winning well means to you’ on your team and in your sport by working on this quick activity.
If you or someone you know needs support, please visit our Crisis Resources or Resources for assistance.
Kathryn McClain, MSW, MBA
Program and Partnerships Director at #WeRideTogether
kmcclain@weridetogether.today
References
- Tuakli-Wosornu YA, Burrows K, Fasting K, et alIOC consensus statement: interpersonal violence and safeguarding in sportBritish Journal of Sports Medicine 2024;58:1322-1344.
- Tuakli-Wosornu YA, Burrows K, Fasting K, et alIOC consensus statement: interpersonal violence and safeguarding in sportBritish Journal of Sports Medicine 2024;58:1322-1344.
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