Results of the focus groups on IOC’s strategic plan for harassment and abuse 2021-2024 (intern rapport) (z.j.)

Despite the well-recognised benefits of sport, there are also negative influences on athlete health, well-being and integrity caused by non-accidental violence through harassment and abuse. All athletes have a right to engage in ‘safe sport’, defined as an athletic environment that is respectful, equitable and free from all forms of non-accidental violence to athletes. However, these issues represent a blind spot for many sport organisations because of fear of reputational damage, ignorance, silence, or collusion.

In recent years, the IOC has made considerable effort to make sport organisations aware of the issue of harassment and abuse in the sport, and the field of athlete safeguarding in sport is now rapidly evolving.

As we move into a new Olympiad, with a necessary and increased focus on the protection of athletes it is important and necessary to ensure that the IOCs efforts in this area are well defined, evidence based and established in collaboration with experts and key stakeholders. Therefore, the eventual aim after this research project is to define the IOC Safe Sport Strategic Objectives 2021-2024 across the main established organisational spheres of influence of the IOC, as well as outline strategic intents for 2030. These objectives must be defined through extensive consultation with key stakeholder groups.

Therefore, we organized focus groups to hear from key stakeholder groups what they believe should change within the topics of: values, education, and awareness; governance; capacity building; policy and procedures; and the protection of vulnerable groups.

This research deliverable will serve as a summary of the different perspectives and suggestions that were discussed in the four focus groups. After an introduction, we discuss the set-up of the four focus groups and the selection of the topics that we wanted to discuss with key stakeholders. Subsequently, we explain in more detail the methodology and data analysis strategy of this research endeavour. Next, we present the results of the four focus groups. Lastly, we reflect on the research outcomes and discuss some general observations that can be helpful for eventually drafting the policy objectives of the IOC’s policy on abuse and harassment 2021-2024.