Deconstructing Safeguarding in Sport

Safeguarding in sport is shaped by international standards — yet meaningful change happens at the local level. In this episode, we examine how safeguarding policies and frameworks are implemented in practice, exploring why translating international standards into safe sport environments remains a significant challenge. The discussion considers how safeguarding expectations reach clubs, coaches, an...

Safeguarding failures in elite sport are rarely accidental — they are produced by systems built on power, reward, and dependency. In this episode, we examine the specific safeguarding risks faced by elite athletes, exploring how pursuit of excellence, early specialisation, and hierarchical coach–athlete relationships can create conditions in which abuse is enabled and normalised. The discussion co...

Safeguarding in sport increasingly extends beyond physical spaces — yet online abuse remains poorly regulated and inconsistently addressed. In this episode, we examine online abuse as a form of interpersonal violence in sport, exploring how digital environments have become inseparable from athletes’ professional, social, and psychological lives. The discussion unpacks what constitutes online abuse...

Safeguarding in sport often stops at investigation and sanction — yet justice also requires remedy. In this episode, we examine what remedy means in the context of safeguarding in sport, shifting the focus from disciplinary outcomes alone to processes that prioritise healing, safety, and systemic change. The discussion explores remedy as both an action and an outcome: a structured process designed...

Safeguarding in sport is often addressed after harm occurs — but prevention depends on education, awareness, and power redistribution. In this episode, we examine the role of awareness-raising and education in building safe sport environments, questioning how safeguarding can move beyond reactive, scandal-driven responses toward proactive, human rights-centred systems. The discussion explores how...

International sports governing bodies (SGBs) sit at the centre of power in global sport — but what does that mean for safeguarding?  In this episode, we examine the role of sports governing bodies (SGBs) in shaping safeguarding systems, exploring what policies currently exist, how they are implemented, and where gaps continue to expose athletes and other sport actors to harm. The discussion l...

Safeguarding in sport is increasingly governed by legal frameworks — yet protection on the ground remains uneven. In this episode, we examine the legal landscape of safeguarding in sport, exploring what standards and policies already exist, where gaps remain, and what is still needed to create safe sport environments. The discussion looks at the relationship between international frameworks and na...

Safeguarding in sport cannot be understood without examining gender. In this episode, we explore the relationship between gender, violence, and safeguarding in sport, combining lived experience with sociological analysis to examine how sport systems reproduce power, exclusion, and harm. The conversation begins with the guest’s experience as an elite athlete, where overtraining, forced training whi...

Safeguarding in sport did not emerge overnight — it is the result of long social, cultural, and political struggles. In this episode, we examine safeguarding in sport through a historical lens, exploring how modern sport became institutionalised, why violence was once accepted and even celebrated, and why safeguarding continues to face resistance today. The conversation traces the development of o...

Safeguarding in sport is now a priority — but it is not always clearly understood. Increased investment, research, and high-profile failures have made safeguarding more visible, more complex, and more contested. Attention alone, however, is not enough. Deconstructing Safeguarding in Sports takes a step back. This podcast series explores safeguarding in sport one concept at a time, questioning defi...

Safeguarding in sport is widely discussed — but often poorly understood. In this episode, we examine what safeguarding in sport actually means by challenging long-standing beliefs about toughness, performance, and coaching culture. The conversation focuses on how abuse is defined, normalised, and overlooked within sport systems. A central theme is that intention does not define abuse — impact does...