On Friday, four members of Congress introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation aimed at reforming the U.S. Center for SafeSport. This bill seeks to establish a time limit for resolving cases, which can currently drag on for years, while also enhancing communication between the Center and survivors of abuse.
The proposed Safer Sports for Athletes Act aims to tackle major issues that have led to criticism of the Center since its inception in 2017, when it was created to manage sexual abuse allegations in Olympic sports as well as their grassroots counterparts.
This legislation would increase the Center’s annual grant from $2.5 million to $10 million. However, it’s important to note that this funding is only applicable for training and education activities, rather than for investigations and enforcement, which remain central to many concerns expressed about the Center.
Currently, the Center operates on a budget roughly amounting to $21 million each year, with the majority of funding sourced from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and national governing bodies (NGBs). According to CEO Ju’Riese Colon, the Center processes around 155 reports weekly, translating to over 8,000 reports annually.
“We hope that increased funding for various activities will allow for more financial resources to be allocated towards investigations, in addition to our efforts at streamlining processes,” remarked Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from North Carolina.
Joining her in sponsoring the bill are Representatives Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), and Kathy Castor (D-Florida). However, many critics of the Center are wary about providing additional resources to an agency that they believe is not effectively addressing the issues it faces. Colon emphasized that even with new funding, overcoming the challenges outlined in the proposed legislation will not merely be a matter of reallocating budgets.
“We have numerous unresolved questions,” Colon stated. “In some cases, we simply don’t understand how the system functions on a practical level.”
The legislation mandates that investigations be completed within 180 days of receiving a report, with the possibility of extensions in certain circumstances. There have been significant complaints directed at the Center, particularly from individuals whose cases have taken years to reach a resolution.
“Many survivors have been left in limbo for years, awaiting SafeSport to investigate or file a conclusion,” stated soccer player Mana Shim, who played a role in drafting the bill. Shim’s own case, which involved allegations of sexual harassment and coercion from her coach, took over two years for the Center to resolve, prompting investigations and reforms within American soccer as a result.
Additional proposed reforms include offering victim advocates at no charge for those who need them—an initiative that the Center is already implementing as part of broader changes announced earlier this year—and the appointment of case managers responsible for providing timely updates to both victims and the accused.
“I have concerns that if the Center were to internally hire and staff advocates, it could lead to conflicts of interest,” Colon expressed.
Legislators are promoting this bill as a means to better support the Denver-based Center while clearly indicating their dissatisfaction with its performance to date. “We intend to ensure that the Center has the necessary resources to effectively manage the thousands of reports it receives each year,” Castor noted. “Unfortunately, it has not met expectations thus far.”
Lastly, Ross acknowledged that this bill may be postponed until the next Congress convenes on January 3, but emphasized the importance of setting the groundwork as soon as possible.
