SafeSport Policy Summary & FAQs

The U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”) was created by Congress after various athlete sexual abuse cases came to light. The intent of the Center is to help abuse prevention, education, and accountability and provide a professional and independent avenue for athletes to raise allegations of misconduct outside the sports organization where the misconduct allegedly occurred.  

SafeSport provides an extra layer of protection for the biathlon community by offering independent, trauma informed oversight for allegations of abuse and misconduct, in addition to ensuring that those engaged in any form of abuse or misconduct are not able to continue by moving to other programs, organizations or sports.

Policy Application: The U.S. Center for SafeSport Code applies to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), certified National Governing Bodies (NGBs), such as U.S. Biathlon (“Biathlon”), and Local Affiliated Organizations (LAOs) of the NGBs. In the context of the sport of biathlon, LAOs are organizations that are “directly affiliated” with U.S. Biathlon, meaning our member clubs. 

Obligations: Individuals who are employees, Board Members of U.S. Biathlon (“Biathlon”) or a member club, or who are volunteers that have regular contact or authority over minor athletes, are deemed “Participants” of Biathlon and, therefore, subject to the U.S. Center for SafeSport Code and Biathlon's Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP).

Jurisdiction: If an allegation falls within the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s (the “Center”) exclusive jurisdiction, it must be investigated and resolved by the Center.  The Center has exclusive jurisdiction over: sexual misconduct, criminal charges or dispositions involving child abuse or sexual misconduct, misconduct related to reporting where the underlying allegation involves child abuse or sexual misconduct, misconduct related to aiding and abetting, abuse of process or retaliation and other inappropriate conduct as defined by the SafeSport Code. 

The Center has “discretionary jurisdiction” over other allegations – meaning it may or may not accept jurisdiction, such as emotional abuse, physical abuse, bullying and harassment.

Once the Center accepts jurisdiction of a case, parallel investigations between SafeSport, law enforcement, Title IX, or another entity OUTSIDE of the Movement can occur. However, U.S. Biathlon, U.S. Biathlon members, and USOPC cannot conduct their own investigations into the allegation. This ensures that parties with an interest in the outcome are prevented from interfering with ongoing inquiries, result in conflicting outcomes, and place unnecessary strain on the victim.

Protections: The U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”) is an important safety measure to provide vulnerable participants with a safe and independent forum to bring claims. It provides outcomes that insulate certain sports organizations from claims of cover up or whitewashing. While there has been some confusion about the scope of the Center, it aspires to be an important gold standard of participant safety. 

After several widespread sexual abuse scandals in Olympic sports, Congress created the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”) through The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017. The Center’s role is to provide independent oversight of misconduct allegations ensuring consistent investigations, fair disciplinary actions, and accountability across all levels of Olympic and Paralympic sports such as biathlon.

For the biathlon community, the Center supports all individuals who are members of U.S. Biathlon.

The Olympic & Paralympic Movement is the collective term for all organizations, participants, and activities under the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). National governing bodies such as U.S. Biathlon and dozens more are a part of the Movement, as are their members.

If you’re a member of U.S. Biathlon, you’re part of the Movement.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”) works alongside National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs), like U.S. Biathlon and its member organizations, to investigate misconduct and support organizations in addressing abuse. Ultimately, its job is to ensure that participants are protected from abuse and misconduct.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport investigates and resolves allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. It can also address other misconduct, such as emotional abuse, physical abuse, bullying, and harassment.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport’s (the “Center”) jurisdiction does not extend to employment or participation determinations made by our member organizations or prevent the reporting to and involving law enforcement or parallel processes like Title IX.

If someone is banned from the Movement by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, U.S. Biathlon member organizations must comply with that ruling in order to continue being a U.S. Biathlon member and participating in U.S. Biathlon events.

When the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”) declines jurisdiction of a case, U.S. Biathlon takes responsibility for responding to and resolving the claim. Depending on the details such as the type of allegations, the people involved, and the circumstances, U.S. Biathlon may ask the member organization's leadership to address the issue within a set timeframe. In some cases, U.S. Biathlon may need to inquire further if the allegations don’t fall under the U.S. Biathlon SafeSport Policy but still violate other U.S. Biathlon policies.

A U.S. Biathlon club that is not in compliance with the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”) requirements is not considered a club in good standing and is thus not covered by U.S. Biathlon insurance, and may be suspended from membership by U.S. Biathlon. Non-compliance by an organization could lead to U.S. Biathlon losing its status as an NGB and may also violate federal law. The Center may take disciplinary action, including temporary or permanent suspension from the Movement.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport provides an independent system to handle misconduct allegations, ensuring fairness and consistency because no interested parties (such as program management, organization directors, parents, etc.) are assessing the case. It tracks offenders to prevent them from moving between teams or sports and complements the biathlon community's efforts to protect its participants. Investigations are conducted independently, ensuring that the process is fair and free from conflicts of interest.

The SafeSport Code ensures standardized and fair investigations, consistent disciplinary actions, and sport-wide accountability free from institutional pressures, which also supports sports organizations that lack the resources or budget to manage abuse claims effectively.

SafeSport’s independent investigations and sport-wide accountability provide protections that individual organizations cannot.