U.S. CENTER FOR SAFESPORT
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is a national independent non-profit organization. The Center believes that all athletes deserve to participate in sports free from any form of emotional, physical and sexual misconduct.
How to Report Misconduct
Who is the U.S. Center for SafeSport?
Established in 2017, the U.S. Center for SafeSport is the independent and exclusive authority directed by Congress to prevent and respond to all forms of abuse and misconduct within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. The Center is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
The Center receives, investigates, and responds to reports of abuse and misconduct from individuals affiliated with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USPOPC) and its National Governing Bodies (NGBs). The Center ensures that the USPOC and NGBs properly apply policies and procedures to govern abuse prevention and maintains a database of individuals sanctioned from participation in their sport.
Throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, the Center trains athletes, parents, coaches, volunteers, and organizations at all levels on best practices and principles for preventing abuse in sport settings. In doing so, the Center advances its mission of making athlete well-being the center of our nation's sports culture through abuse prevention, education, and accountability.
US Sailing incorporates The Center’s Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Program (“MAAPP”) which is a comprehensive program of abuse prevention, including:
- SafeSport Training
- Abuse Prevention Policies
- Mandatory reporting requirements for adults
These measures are informed by experts in the field of child safety and are among the strongest safeguards found in youth-serving organizations.
As a member of the USOPC, US Sailing supports the Center’s mission to create a healthy, supportive environment for all participants by providing education, resources, and training to all of our individual and organizational members.
Take SafeSport Training
You will be redirected to the U.S. Center for SafeSport Training homepage. Click Login in the upper right corner of the page.
Special Note For First Time Users of SafeSport’s New Absorb Training Platform: The U.S. Center for SafeSport transitioned to a new training platform hosted by Absorb in April 2021 and your previous SafeSport Training records have been migrated to the new Absorb training platform. To activate your new account, enter the email address you have previously used for SafeSport Training, and click Forgot Password. This will send a password reset notification to your SafeSport Training email address. Follow the instructions to create a new, secure password and log into the training site.
Once logged into your SafeSport Dashboard, select the My Courses tab to view your outstanding SafeSport Training requirements and course completion history.
New SafeSport users will be redirected to the U.S. Center for SafeSport Training dashboard and prompted to create a personal SafeSport Training account. During registration, US Sailing members must provide their US Sailing Member ID in the Membership ID box. All users, including those who are not US Sailing members, must list US Sailing as the required Sport Organization.
Once logged into your SafeSport Training Dashboard, scroll down to your Catalog and enroll in the SafeSport Trained – NGB1 course. The course will populate in your My Courses tab and you can begin the curriculum.
Who is Required to Take SafeSport Training?
Education is a key component of any abuse and misconduct prevention strategy. US Sailing encourages all members to complete the Center’s SafeSport Trained course. US Sailing requires adult members who have been authorized, appointed, or approved to have regular contact with or authority over minor sailing participants to take SafeSport Training. In addition, in accordance with the Center’s Education and Training Policy, US Sailing requires SafeSport Training for adults who are approved by organizational members to have regular contact with or authority over minor sailing participants. Those individuals required to complete SafeSport Training must take the full “SafeSport Trained” course once every four years and a “Refresher” course in each of the intervening years. Once you complete the online course, your SafeSport Training will be logged on to your membership record in the US Sailing database.
SafeSport training is a free online course that provides education on:
- Sexual Misconduct Awareness
- Emotional and Physical Misconduct
- Mandatory Reporting (Understanding Your Responsibilities)
By being better educated and more aware of the various types of misconduct and how to recognize them, each of us can make our sport safer and help end abuse in sport.
Mandatory Reporting
The following adults are considered mandatory reporters under federal law:
- Any member, employee, or volunteer of US Sailing or a US Sailing organizational member
- Any other individuals who have been authorized, approved or appointed by US Sailing or a US Sailing organizational member to have regular contact with minor sailing participants
Any adult who falls within these categories who reasonably suspects that a minor sailing participant has suffered an incident of child abuse, including sexual abuse, must immediately make a report of the suspected behavior to both (1) local law enforcement and (2) the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
The Center accepts all reports of sexual abuse and child abuse within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Report here, if you have reasonable suspicion of sexual misconduct or harassment, child abuse (including child sexual abuse), or intimate relationships involving an imbalance of power.
How to take SafeSport Training
Note: For the easiest experience do not take SafeSport Training from your mobile device.
How Do I Start My SafeSport Training?
- Click on the New User Registration button. This will redirect you to the US Center for SafeSport Training site and you will be prompted to create a new SafeSport training account.
- Complete the SafeSport Training Sign Up Form. IMPORTANT: All US Sailing members must provide their Member ID in the Organization Member ID field. All users must list US Sailing or their local club/sailing organization in the Name of Sport or Community Organization field.
- Once you register your SafeSport Training account you will be directed to the SafeSport Training dashboard. All SafeSport Training courses can be found in the Catalog.
- In the Catalog, enroll in the SafeSport Trained – NGB1 course. Important: SafeSport Trained – NGB1 is the only course you are required to complete. The Catalog contains other courses you may take on a voluntary basis.
- Complete SafeSport Trained – NGB1
Abuse Prevention Policies
Establishing clear boundaries reduces the risk of physical, sexual, and emotional misconduct as well as opportunities for bullying, harassment, and hazing. Studies show that the majority of child sexual abuse is perpetrated in isolated, one-on-one situations. By reducing such interaction between children and adults, programs reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. However, one-on-one time with trusted adults is also healthy and valuable for a child.
Accordingly, the Center has established specific policies concerning one-on-one interactions to balance protecting minor sailing participants while allowing for these beneficial relationships.
For more information about the Center’s Abuse Prevention Policies, please see US Sailing’s SafeSport Handbook.
U.S. CENTER FOR SAFESPORT
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is a national independent non-profit organization. The Center believes that all athletes deserve to participate in sports free from any form of emotional, physical and sexual misconduct.