U.S. Center for SafeSport Releases 2024 Annual Report

The U.S. Center for SafeSport has released its 2024 Annual Report, which gives insight into the Center’s eighth year of operations and provides data related to case outcomes.

The annual report includes data from January 1 through December 31, 2024. During that time, SafeSport fielded 8,098 reports of abuse and misconduct — the most the Center has received in a calendar year. The report also includes an update on the implementation of improvements as part of the Center’s efforts to further integrate stakeholder feedback into new policies.

“Robust engagement with stakeholders and a deep commitment to continuous evolution are fundamental to the Center’s work to advance athlete safety,” said Paralympian April Holmes, interim chief executive officer at the U.S. Center for SafeSport. “Shifting sport culture is about more than catalyzing change, it’s about building a community that makes change inevitable.”

Emotional/physical misconduct allegations accounted for nearly 3,000 reports, with sexual misconduct accounting for 1,458 reports. There was a 7.5 percent increase in reports of abuse and misconduct from 2023 to 2024, and an increase of more than 2,780 percent since 2017.

There were 2,224 individuals restricted or banned from sport listed on the Centralized Disciplinary Database. SafeSport also conducted 52 audits of national governing bodies, including 49 event audits that took place at regional and local levels.

“Any effort worth pursuing isn’t going to be easy, and we cannot do it alone,” said Holmes. “Our work is both a marathon and a sprint. Making strides to improve safety for athletes today and generations to come is the commitment that unites us and spurs us to evolve.”

As part of that commitment, SafeSport implemented changes to the SafeSport Code, which took effect on July 1, 2024, and the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies, which took effect on January 1, 2025. Those changes include expanded platforms for abuse prevention education — including the launch of the SafeSport Ready mobile app — the creation of an athlete-focused Instagram channel and delivery of the quarterly Center’s Gameplan newsletter.

In conjunction with the report, SafeSport is currently conducting an outreach campaign focused on gaining insight from athletes, survivors, governing bodies and stakeholders. The outreach meetings have taken place virtually as well as in-person at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic training center in Colorado Springs and the Elite Athlete Training Center Chula Vista, California.