SafeSport seeks to improve communication for long cases

DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Center for SafeSport will explain to people involved in abuse investigations about the potential for the “long duration” of cases as part of reforms designed to improve communication about what some complain is a confusing, drawn-out process.

The center’s interim CEO, April Holmes, sent a letter Wednesday to athletes, sports organizations and others involved in the SafeSport process outlining changes stemming from a series of community outreach efforts earlier this year.

Among the nine changes the center announced:

— “Better explain(ing) what happens when the Center declines a case.”

— Improving resources and adding language to help people better understand third-party reporting, anonymous reporting and due process.

— “Adding educational content on misusing the center’s process.”

— “Incorporating language in communications about the potential long duration of cases.”

The center’s outreach efforts began shortly after Holmes took over for Ju’Riese Colon, whose departure came after a series of Associated Press stories about an investigator hired and later fired by the center triggered an inquiry from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Established in 2017 to sort through sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports, the center has struggled to efficiently resolve cases — a problem it says is rooted in the more than 8,000 reports it receives in a year and staffing issues that have plagued the organization since its founding.

In her letter, Holmes said the center heard concerns about areas that were flagged “as requiring more attention, transparency and/or education.”

Another takeaway, Holmes wrote: “The Center is important and necessary. Improvements are being noticed, but challenges remain.”

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games