Sexual harassment and abuse in sport has risen rapidly
up the sports agenda in the past few years, largely due to work
of WSI members in the research, advocacy and policy fields.
The key researchers in the field are all WSI members
and contributed to a major Symposium on the subject at the 2001
International Society of Sport Psychology Congress (ISSP) in Skiathos,
Greece. The Symposium was organised and co-edited by Kari Fasting
(Norway) and Celia Brackenridge (UK), both prominent WSI activists.
The papers from that Symposium will be edited by them and will appear
in a special issue of the Journal of Sexual Aggression in mid summer
2002.
Other notable WSI achievements in this field
include:
Successful lobbying for the establishment of a permanent, funded
Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) in the UK, housed in the
country’s largest children’s charity – the National
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and
co-funded by Sport England and the NSPCC. Celia Brackenridge,
convenor of the WSI Task Force on Sexual harassment, has also
been appointed chair of the CPSU’s Research Task Force
Keynote speeches on sexual harassment in sport by Celia, Kari
and Trisha Leahy (Clinical Psychologist at the Australian Institute
of Sport) at a series of major academic and professional conferences
in the past two years including the ISSP, International Sociology
of Sport, European College of Sport Sciences, Leisure Studies
Association, British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences,
UK National Play Conference, Institute of Leisure and Amenity
Management, Council of Europe Committee for the Development of
Sport (CDDS) (see below)
Award of the prize for the best social science paper at the
2000 International Olympic Committee Pre-Olympic Scientific Congress
in Brisbane to Kari and Celia for their paper on sexual harassment
of elite female athletes
A key role in the development of child protection and anti-harassment
policy work in Australia (through Trisha Leahy), Canada (through
Sandra Kirby) and Europe (though Kari and Celia). Most recently,
Kari and Celia both presented keynote speeches to a Council of
Europe CDDS SPRINT seminar of 26 European countries on the theme
of preventing sexual harassment and abuse of women and children
in sport
Consultancy with national and regional sport organisations and
federal bodies to develop and implement policy on child protection
and athlete welfare
Award of a major 5 year grant to Celia Brackenridge from the
English Football (soccer) Association for research on the impact
of child protection on the game
Media appearances and interviews on BBC television and radio,
Sky TV and many other channels to spread the word about child
abuse and protection needs in sport
Development and delivery of training workshops in USA (Carole
Oglesby and Don Sabo), Canada (Sandra Kirby), UK (Celia Brackenridge)
and Australia (Trisha Leahy) to improve professional standards
and good practice in coaching and sports administration.
Celia Brackenridge
WSI Sexual Harassment Task Force Convenor
