Grace French
The Army of Survivors (TAOS) Founder and President
Statement on the final report of the Commission on the State of US Olympics and Paralympics
March 5, 2024
We are grateful to the bipartisan Congressional Commission for the thorough and far-reaching final report on the state of US Olympics and Paralympics. It was an honor to be part of the hearing process and provide detailed recommendations sharing the experience of athlete-survivors of abuse in sports. I and the athlete survivors that the Army of Survivors represent recognize the level of detail and coordination this report requires and hope that these recommendations lead to real reforms of the US Center for Safe Sport (SafeSport) and broader sports system. We also hope that this is part of a continuing conversation about making institutional changes to hold systems accountable for ignoring, hiding, or failing to intervene to prevent abuse in sports. USOPC and other sports organizations can no longer claim innocence about the levels of widespread abuse in sport and must take steps of accountability and prevention.
We appreciate the Commission recognizing the recommendations TAOS has collected from athlete-survivors on the failings of accountability and process within sports to end abuse. The Commission’s recommendations for reform of SafeSport reflected the voice of survivors of abuse and underscored the need to take immediate action to improve SafeSport, as its charge is too important to fail. We support the call for better trauma-informed investigations, stronger coordination, and concrete steps to improve the safety training. We also support the strengthening of public oversight to improve transparency and accountability. This is especially true for the decisions of the Center for Safe Sport, where long lingering investigations and lack of communication have been frustrating and harmful to athletes. Further, we commend the recommendation to improve coaching skills across sport. TAOS’s current development of curriculum on coaching, Compassionate Coach™, is a helpful tool for sports systems to change coaching cultures and support healthy development.
TAOS has been working with Congressman Deborah Ross (D-NC) on legislation to make substantial reforms to SafeSport. Tentatively titled the “Safer Sports for Athletes Act of 2024,” this draft legislation would provide concrete measures for Congress to reform SafeSport to be more trauma-aware, improve transparency and communication, prioritize prevention and early intervention strategies, and provide better processes around administrative closures and appeals. The detailed Commission Report provides even more evidence that now is the time for reform for the betterment of US sports and athletes. We hope that with the leadership of Representative Ross and other bipartisan Congressional champions, we will see impactful reforms to sports and better outcomes for athlete-survivors.
