Athlete Protection Training

The Athlete Protection Training is provided through the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The required course is found on your USA Swimming Account under the Education tab and must be renewed annually. All new and existing adult members of USA Swimming, including adult athletes, must satisfactorily complete Athlete Protection Training as required by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

POLICY

Training

This training is required for all new and existing members, including coaches, officials, chaperones, meet directors, and adult athletes.

If you have registered with USA Swimming for the first time, you need to take the "Athlete Protection Training: SafeSport ^TMTrained core course"

Pre-requisite

New members will be required to create a USA Swimming Account before they can complete the course.

The Cost

The course is free of charge and, upon completion, should update in your membership record within 24 hours. Initiate the course by entering your information in the boxes below.

Start Your Training

Login to your USA Swimming Account to complete your Athlete Protection Training. If you have any questions, click the link to login and select "Help" in the main menu to access guides or to submit a help ticket.

Members with Cognitive Disabilities / Survivors

USA Swimming recognizes the required training course may not be appropriate for some adult athlete members with cognitive disabilities. For any such adult athlete member, please reference this information for exemptions and accommodations. Additionally, completing this training may be triggering or re-traumatizing for victims/survivors. Exemptions for this requirement may be made on a case-by-case basis. Requests may be made to USA Swimming at SafeSport@usaswimming.org.

LEARN MORE

FAQs and Safe Sport Contact Directory

Have more questions?

Contact Help Desk

How long is the Athlete Protection Training?

The SafeSport™ Trained core course will take you about 90 minutes. "Refresher" will take about 35 minutes. You may stop the course at any time and pick up where you left off the next time you log in.

Do I take the same course every year?

No, you will take "Athlete Protection Training: SafeSport™ Trained core course" one year and a "Refresher" the next. If you have taken the core course previously: You can renew your Athlete protection Training by taking a Refresher Course as early as 90 days prior and up to your expiration date.

There are only four courses that will satisfy the Athlete Protection Training requirement for membership. Those four courses are the SafeSport™ Trained Core Course, Refresher 1, Refresher 2, and Refresher 3. These courses are located in Education - Course Catalog - All Courses.

The accepted courses show up as:

Athlete Protection Training
Athlete Protection Training - Refresher 1
Athlete Protection Training - Refresher 2
Athlete Protection Training - Refresher 3

Chaperone: Which training would a Chaperone need to complete?

Chaperones are required to be non-athlete USA Swimming members and complete Athlete Protection Training and pass a background check. All members must follow MAAPP expectations.
1. Team assures that the Chaperones are USA Swimming members in good standing.
2. Team assures that the Chaperones are familiar with MAAPP and have singed the MAAPP acknowledgement.
3. Teams go through the team's Chaperone guidelines with those serving in that capacity.
4. Teams assure that the Chaperones are familiar with the team travel policies and expectations.

Will I receive credit for this course?

Each member that wishes to receive credit for a course in education needs to have their own login. Accessing the course through a parent account, spouse account or any other person's account will not provide the proper credit. The tracking of the completion is done based on the person logged in.

Requirements and expiration dates can be found on your USA Swimming Account on your Member Card.

How often do parents need to take the “Parent’s Guide to Misconduct in Sport” course?

Expiration dates can be found on your USA Swimming Account. Parents will need to take this course again when the club is planning to renew their Safe Sport Club Recognition status.

Parents taking the course will need to be logged into their own account and connected to their child registered on the team in order for the system to give the club credit.

I'm turning 18 soon, when can I take the Athlete Protection Training?

You can take the training 60 days before your 18th birthday. You must complete the SafeSport™ Trained Core course by the time you turn 18.

The accepted courses show up as:

Athlete Protection Training
Athlete Protection Training - Refresher 1
Athlete Protection Training - Refresher 2
Athlete Protection Training - Refresher 3

What is the difference between the SafeSport™ Trained Core course and the SafeSport Training for for Adult Athletes’? Does the course for Safe Sport Training for Adult Athletes meet the APT educational requirement for 18+ swimmers?

The curriculum of those two courses is quite different. Both courses are developed by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

The SafeSport™ Trained Core course is the requirement and covers the key topics that the congressional mandate said that youth sport organizations need to educate about. Athletes ages 18 and older are required to take this course due to their potential contact with minor athletes.

The SafeSport Training for Adult Athlete course is an optional course that covers the specific areas of boundaries and power dynamics between adult athletes and adult coaches.

How often do athletes ages 13-17 need to take the "Safe Sport for Youth Athletes” course?

Requirements and expiration dates can be found on your USA Swimming Account. Each member that wishes to receive credit for a course in education need to have their own login.
Athletes (ages 13+) will need to take this course again when the club is planning to renew their Safe Sport Club Recognition status.

Parents will need to create an account for their child under 16 to complete the course.