2.3 Examples from sport

Four athletes are depicted as tired and exhausted after running. Bending over. Laying on the running track. There are bottles of water on a table in the background.

Physical

Forcing athletes to run several times round the track when they haven’t done something the coach asked them to do and punishment by exhaustion for forgetting their kit.

A professional golfer leans into the personal space of a young female golfer.

Sexual

A 16-year-old golfer was asked by the golf professional at her club to caddy for him in a local tournament. Everything went well on the course, but when the professional dropped her home, he asked her for a kiss. She did not know what to do, so she gave him a peck on the cheek, to which he responded that he wanted a real kiss.

Three young female athletes are standing together in a sports hall. They are laughing and pointing at a young non-binary athlete who has turned away from them and looks unhappy and distressed.

Emotional/Psychological

A women’s netball team includes several gender non-binary players. The coach frequently makes comments saying "are you a boy?" and labels their haircut a ‘boycut’.

A para-athlete in a wheelchair. He has a gym bag and a racket on his lap. He is faced with a set of stairs in front of him, with no access to the changing room at the top of the stairs.

Neglect

A wheelchair user was invited to participate in a tennis competition. There was no accessible changing room and toilet facilities at the venue. Upon raising this, the wheelchair user is told to "stop complaining and adapt".

If more people understand these different types of abuse, it contributes to a safer environment and safeguarding concerns are more likely to be identified.

2.2 The four main types of abuse

2.4 How are behaviours which cause a safeguarding concern identified?