Dear Members,
Following our last correspondence, USA Swimming leadership, including its Board of Directors and senior staff, has spent significant time examining its past, reviewing its current Safe Sport abuse-prevention efforts and outlining priorities and initiatives moving forward.
Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our members, and that is paramount in everything we do. USA Swimming strives to better educate and prevent abuse within the sport and to provide the best possible experience for its members, in the safest possible environment.
In early March, the USA Swimming Board of Directors created a Safe Sport Working Group comprised of Board members and USA Swimming employees. The six women and five men working group, which includes Olympians, coaches, and officials, was tasked with coordinating the review and enhancement of the organization’s Safe Sport program, established in 2010.
The Working Group presented its initial progress update and ideas at a special Board of Directors meeting this past weekend. The Board had an in-depth discussion of the Working Group’s report, which included the status of our current programs and services, policies, organizational culture and communications to identify areas in need of further development.
Based on the Working Group’s presentation and subsequent review, the Board endorsed the following priorities:
Since 2010, we have made great efforts in education, awareness and oversight with USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program. Safe Sport Champions are raising awareness of abuse prevention and doing education at the zone, LSC, and club levels. Every year we have strengthened our commitment with the goal of making safe sport a cultural reality and will continue to do so.
Athletes, members, clubs, and everyone affiliated with USA Swimming deserves to know and trust that we will put our children and athletes first.
We encourage you to review the following in-depth timeline of detailed Safe Sport initiatives undertaken since 2010 here.
We welcome your continued questions and feedback here.
Sincerely yours,
James Sheehan
USA Swimming Board of Directors Chair
Tim Hinchey III
USA Swimming President & CEO
Additional Safe Sport resources:
USA Swimming Safe Sport Toolkit
USA Swimming Safe Sport Reporting