Olympic bodies improve protection for athletes from abuse

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Trying to protect athletes from abuse and harassment, the International Olympic Committee has published a 106-page document to help sports bodies improve their rules and processes.

Athletes, including Olympic champion gymnasts, have talked about their experiences in the #MeToo campaign since allegations of sexual abuse were made against film producer Harvey Weinstein.

IOC President Thomas Bach says “we praise the athletes’ courage to speak out on incidents of harassment and abuse, and we support them in their action.”

The so-called “toolkit” document was promised last year when the IOC created a new incident reporting process for athletes at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. A welfare officer worked at the athletes village in Rio, and the same system will be in place at the Pyeongchang Olympics in February.