Australian Research on Harassment in Sport
A Snapshot In Time: Athlete's Perceptions Of Harassment

In 1998 the ASC commissioned research to:

• Obtain a snapshot in time of the present status and nature of harassment

• Identify the nature of harassment in various forms

• Recognise the behaviours and outcomes of various types of harassment

Approximately 300 (athletes and administrators) responded to the survey. Results showed:

• Dramatic difference in males and females perceptions of harassment. Generally 20% more males than females considered harassing behaviour as "part of sport".
  

• Uninvited touching: F 100% considered harassment
                                 M 22.5% considered part of sport
  

• Use of sexually explicit language: F 63.8% considered harassment
                                                       M 60% considered part of sport
  

• Sexual propositions: F 90% considered harassment
                                   M 92% considered harassment
  

• What is disturbing about this, is that nearly one in four males consider it acceptable to touch others uninvited in sport, more than one in two males consider sexual explicit language as part of sport and one in ten female athletes perceive sexual propositions as part of sport and therefore "acceptable".
  

• As the competitive level increases from club/school to state to national, the behaviours which people considered harassment at the grass roots level become more "acceptable" at the higher/elite levels of sport. For example:
  
  Use of sexually explicit language: Club/school 63% considered harassment
                                                        State 56.5% considered harassment
                                                        National 42% considered harassment
  
  
  Jokes about one's sexuality: Club/school 62.5% considered harassment
                                                State 52% considered harassment
                                                National 48.3% considered harassment
  
  

Summary Record of Harassment Complaints/Situations

Despite the fact that most harassment complaints are not reported, and that there is no requirement on sport to inform the ASC of complaints, the following is a brief summary of harassment situations that the ASC has been made aware of since January 2000. It indicates that harassment is occurring in a range sports and at every level.

Reported Incidences Of Harassment In Sport In Australia 

Although statistics on harassment are notoriously unreliable because of the sensitivities of the subject and the likelihood that most cases are not reported, there has been an increasing number of serious incidences in sport being reported, particularly racial and sexual harassment. Some of these include:

• 2001 - former magistrate found guilty on 9 child sex abuse charges of junior lifesavers (nippers) aged 7-13. The abuse occurred when the accused was a state and club junior lifesaving coach.

• 2001 - Allegations made by a retired professional female jockey that she was sexually assaulted and harassed for 11 years by males within the horse racing industry are currently being investigated.

• 2001 - Olympic kayaker Kerri Randle recounts her sexual abuse by her swimming coach in the late 1980s.

• 2000 - Female jockey takes court action against 6 young men in the horse racing industry for sexual assault and harassment.

• 2000 - Junior soccer coach Otto Darcy-Searle jailed for 11 years after pleading guilty to 104 paedophile offences against four of his young players (aged between 10 and 12).

• 2000 - Hockey coach pleaded guilty to allegations of indecent assault on a player under his care. 

• 1999 - Olympic Assistant Coach for softball squad, Kevin Henderson is charged for 24 sexual offences and pleads guilty to 5 counts of sexual penetration with consent of a 17 year old under his supervision and care.

• 1999 - Triathlon coach Brett Sutton pleaded guilty to molesting a 13-year-old female swimmer he was training about 11 years ago.

• 1999 - Rugby League coach (and senior policeman) Paul Favret jailed after pleading guilty to charges including sexual assault of a 14-year-old rugby league player he had been coaching.

• 1999 - A Rugby League coach is considering taking out a restraining order against a 14-year-old player after he was threatened with a knife following sin binning the player for swearing and spitting.

• 1999 - Athletics coach Paul Busteed jailed after being found guilty on 3 charges of sexually assaulting a 14-year old girl he was coaching.

• 1998 - International cricket umpire, Steve Randell, pleaded not guilty to 26 sexual charges in court on 16th July 1998. The dates of the alleged offences range from 1979- 1995.

• 1998 - Ruby League international Peter Jackson dies from drug overdose. Family state drug abuse due to be sexually abuse by his football coach as a schoolboy. The coach, Hugh McNamara, convicted of molesting another schoolboy and placed on a bond.

• 1998 - a 16 year old female athlete and Olympic hopeful, wins a record $250,000 in a sexual abuse court case. She sued her molester, a yachtsman and former VFL footballer, over repeated sexual abuse of her from the age of 7.

• 1997 - Athletics Australia have eight legal issues pending concerning coaches and criminal offences, predominantly sexual offences

• 1997 - President of Golf Club found guilty of sexual harassment of employee; Golf Club found vicariously liable for sexual harassment

• 1997 - Sydney swimming coach committed to stand trail for sexually assaulting one of his 15 year old male athletes

• 1997 - Australian cycling team assistant coach at Paralympic Games pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently dealing with a 12 year old

• 1996 - 15-year-old Kayaker Jacqui Mengler alleges her coach sexually abused her.

• 1996 - Former Queanbeyan Tigers' Junior Australian Football Club coach jailed for sexual offences against young boys he coached.

• 1995 - Allegations against a rowing coach of improper relations with female rowers.

• 1995 - Former NSW swim coach jailed for sexually assaulting one of his swim squad when she was ten years old.

• 1993 - Anthony Branighan, baseball state development officer in Western Australia, was jailed for 10 years for sex offences.
  

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