Thousands of cases are reported each year in various disciplines and Transparency International detailed the motives behind the horror
The report points to how sports structures are prone to this type of case (Reuters)
In recent years, hundreds of athletes have raised their voices denouncing abuses they have suffered throughout their lives and have remained silent for years for fear that the noise they could generate would destroy their own careers. From the cases of the American gymnasts who sent the doctor Larry Nassar to prison with his testimony, to the complaints against children’s and women’s soccer coaches in Europe and South America, the examples accumulate in each sport and country. It is evident that there is a line that unites all these examples and an extensive report published by Transparency International seems to show it.
The organization that promotes measures against crimes Corporative and international political corruption dedicated himself to studying the system of sports institutions to understand how it was possible that there were so many similar cases in various parts of the world, many of them linked to sexual extortion. In this type of incident, it is always the power exercised from a superior that ends up being decisive so that the victim not only suffers the horror of surrendering his body, but also silences him for years.
On your marks, set Stop: Understanding and Ending Sextortion in Sport makes it clear that the extortion -as it is called- is part of sexual abuse and corruption. It is in these cases in which a person with authority (coach, leader, politician or head of an organization), promises benefits to the athlete in exchange of greater presence on the field of competition, a prominent place in the team or even scholarships.
The report used examples from several countries and found that in Germany one in three elite athletes surveyed suffer -or suffered- sexual violence.Furthermore, if the consultation is limited to women, the numbers are even more alarming. According to the explanation of Sylvia Schenk, president of the group that collected information in the European country, this is mainly due to “the lack of control and responsibility at all levels of sports organizations.”
Some of the gymnasts who denounced American doctor Larry Nassar (Reuters)
“Sextorsion tends to go largely unnoticed. Those affected often face social stigma and cultural taboos, and it is often difficult to prove abuse. In many cases, safe and gender-sensitive reporting mechanisms do not exist that can provide the support that survivors/victims of sexual abuse often need”, says the study.
In addition, it makes it clear that in sports entities the most important positions are usually exercised by men and there are “structural” factors that make clubs or other organizations prone places for sextortion not only to take place but also to go unpunished.
Among the key points highlighted by the report on why this happens, the following stand out: the lack of control by international and independent entities, the absence of external pressure and the naturalization of interpersonal relations. This last aspect It is linked to the closeness between coaches and athletes, who live together even more than with their own families. “Often (these relationships) are characterized by dependency and unclear boundaries, they carry specific risks of sexual abuse(…) These dependencies are reinforced by a sports culture that promotes values such as endurance and loyalty, and in which the authority and expert status of coaches and other influential actors is rarely questioned.”
This, added to the fact that athletes themselves often put the team or their careers before any abuse, has created a kind of “culture of silence”, according to affirms the report that directly blames sports entities for protecting their reputation instead of helping victims.
To end this system that seems to run through all sports, Transparency International recommends the inclusion of women in key roles in sport (especially as coaches), the establishment of protocols and codes of conduct for clubs and organizations linked to sport, that complaints be investigated by independent entities and the support of governments and the society for victims, among other aspects.