On January 9, the U.S. Center for SafeSport announced the launching of the 2024 Athlete Culture and Climate Survey.
As expected, no national media ran this announcement. So, the Sports Examiners ran a sub-article below yesterday:
● U.S. Center for SafeSport ●The 2024 edition of the SafeSport Athlete Culture and Climate Survey is underway, with participants asked to relate abusive experiences or other misconduct.
The survey is being operated through February 9 by a third party, Pacific Research and Evaluation, to ensure complete anonymity for respondents, with the results due in May or June. The first survey of this type was done in 2020 and attracted almost 4,000 responses.
No national media except Associated Press and C-Span covered its historic public hearing in Washington, DC, on September 6, 2023.
After watching the all-day hearing on C-Span, the Sports Examinerswrote, “[the public hearing] was sober and thoughtful, with more critical comments about the U.S. Center for SafeSport than about the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.”
At the hearing, Commissioner Joseph Schmitz asked USA Deaf Sports Federation President Jeffrey Mansfield about SafeSport.
(Photo Credit: C-SPAN Video)
COMMISSIONER SCHMITZ: Mr. Mansfield, in your testimony just now you spoke about some additional safety or maybe practical challenges facing deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes, yourself included. Just to clarify, are these athletes currently protected by SafeSport?
(Photo Credit: C-SPAN Video)
MR. MANSFIELD: Yes, but again, as has already been mentioned today, while we report things to SafeSport, it's like sending a complaint into a vacuum, and, in addition to that, at younger levels – or youth-sport levels – deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes, and their families included, are already at a disadvantage. So, to then report – it creates a fear of repercussions or retribution on playing time. So, for those reasons, often deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes will decide to not report abusive or misconduct. And, in fact, we have research and statistics that show that deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans
In 2017, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) spent $2.7 million on the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Now, the USOPC is required by the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act to contribute $20 million a year toward the Center. As of January 4, the Center has a $24 million budget and 67 staff.
Below is the USOPC "Due Process Checklist," which Attorney Ed Williams, one of the contributors the author of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. On the left is the section of the Sports Act (federal law) that applies, and on the right is the explanation of the accused's checklist of due process rights. (Thanks to Eva Rodansky for providing it. She realized that SafeSport was violating the most basic USOPC rules of due process against the 13-year-old young swimmer. Read her public submission for the CSUSOP on May 23, 2023.)
“So my reaction, when I heard them, I was thrown off and confused. And then I was upset,” said the teen swimmer, whom The Associated Press is not identifying because he is a minor, on January 3.
Howie’s Suggestion
(Photo Credit: C-SPAN Video)
During the lunch break at the hearing, I spoke with SafeSport CEO Ju'Riese Colón about my suggestion and then wrote CSUSOP - Plain Languagefor you.
Will the CSUSOP recommend the USOPC and National Governing Bodies comply with the federal Plain Writing Act of 2010?
Message for Readers
If you know any friends having similar problems, please share this newsletter issue with your friends so they might fill in the Athlete Culture and Climate Survey. The deadline date for submitting it is February 9.
I would thank you if you forward this issue to your athletic friends.
I have been on the ‘Deaflympian’s Rights’ story for years and will continue covering it for as long as it takes. To support my work, please consider buying a subscription.
