This study examines Turkish coaches’ understanding of safe sport and safeguarding, perceived prevalence of harassment and abuse in sport, self-assessed knowledge and intervention, and prevention needs. A cross-sectional, 20-item survey was administered online and hard copy to 1612 coaches (517 female, 1095 male) from 56 federations. Quantitative data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative responses underwent inductive content analysis. The findings indicate that coaches most frequently defined safe sport as an environment free from all types of harassment and abuse and safeguarding as physical and mental protection. Psychological abuse was most frequently perceived (70.1%); for all types, prevalence was rated higher for Türkiye's general sport environment than for coaches’ own disciplines (McNemar's test, all p < .001). Self-assessed knowledge (M = 3.82) and intervention (M = 4.20) were moderate to high and correlated (r = .48, p < .001), with a small gender effect on knowledge. Logistic models indicated higher odds for females (knowledge OR = 1.56; intervention OR = 1.52) and lower odds for trained coaches crossing high thresholds (knowledge OR = 0.66; intervention OR = 0.77). Finally, coaches’ strongly voiced demand for the safeguarding training, together with their identification of unsafe training/competition conditions as the primary risk, underscores the need to clarify the definitions of, and reporting mechanisms for, harassment and abuse in sport. The priority should be to nationally standardized and internationally aligned safe sport policies.
Tuakli-WosornuYABurrowsKFastingK, et al.IOC Consensus statement: interpersonal violence and safeguarding in sport. Br J Sports Med2024; 58: 1322–1344.
2.
GurgisJJKerrGA. Sport administrators’ perspectives on advancing safe sport. Front Sports Act Living2021; 3: 630071.
3.
Owusu-SekyereFRhindDHillsL. Safeguarding culture: towards a new approach to preventing child maltreatment in sport. Sport Manage Rev2022; 25: 300–322.
4.
VerhelleHVertommenTPetersG-JY. Preventing sexual violence in sport: determinants of positive coach-bystander behavior. Front Psychol2022; 13: 862220.
5.
MountjoyMBrackenridgeCArringtonM, et al.International Olympic committee consensus statement: harassment and abuse (non-accidental violence) in sport. Br J Sports Med2016; 50: 1019–1029.
6.
KrugELindaDJamesM, et al.World report on violence and health. Report, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2002.
7.
FournierCParentSParadisH. The relationship between psychological violence by coaches and conformity of young athletes to the sport ethic norms. Eur J Sport Soc2022; 19: 37–55.
8.
HartillMRulofsBAllroggenM, et al.Prevalence of interpersonal violence against children in sport in six European countries. Child Abuse Negl2023; 146: 106513.
9.
PankowiakAWoessnerMNParentS, et al.Psychological, physical, and sexual violence against children in Australian community sport: frequency, perpetrator, and victim characteristics. J Interpers Violence2023; 38: 4338–4365.
10.
RhindDBoothRAdeR, et al.An analysis of child safeguarding cases managed by national governing bodies of sport across England and Wales. Child Abuse Rev2024; 33: e70004.
11.
WoessnerMPankowiakAMcLachlanF, et al.Recognising and responding to abuse in sport-Office of Sport NSW. Report, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, 2024.
12.
Tuakli-WosornuYAKirbySLTivasA, et al.The journey to reporting child protection violations in sport: stakeholder perspectives. Front Psychol2023; 13: 907247.
13.
BennettBWangSFyallG.Coach perceptions of child safeguarding policy in New Zealand’s youth sport sector. Sports Coach Rev2023; 56: 1–29.
14.
BattagliaAKerrGBuonoS. Coaches’ perspectives of the influence of safe sport-related education. Sport J2024: 1–20.
15.
KimSConnaughtonDPHedlundDP. Youth sport coaches’ perceptions of sexually inappropriate behaviors and intimate coach-athlete relationships. J Child Sex Abus2023; 32: 397–417.
16.
LaRoccaDLohmillerKBrooks-RussellA, et al.A mixed methods evaluation of a trauma-informed sport training for youth sports coaches. J Sport Dev2025; 13: 16–44.
17.
VerhelleHVertommenTAdriaensK, et al.What would you do? Developing, implementing and evaluating a coach bystander intervention to prevent sexual violence in youth sports clubs. J Appl Sport Psychol2024; 36: 809–830.
18.
ParentSFortierK. Comprehensive overview of the problem of violence against athletes in sport. J Sport Soc Issues2018; 42: 227–246.
19.
Coaching Association of Canada. The coach perspective: A safe sport review. Report, ITP Sport & Recreation Inc, Canada, July 2021.
20.
HagiwaraYSekiguchiTYabeY, et al.The characteristics of coaches that verbally and physically abuse young baseball players using a self-reported questionnaire. J Orthop Sci2019; 24: 361–367.
21.
MorbéeSVansteenkisteMAeltermanN, et al.Why do sport coaches adopt a controlling coaching style? The role of an evaluative context and psychological need frustration. Sport Psychol2020; 34: 89–98.
22.
StirlingAEKerrGA. The perceived effects of elite athletes’ experiences of emotional abuse in the coach–athlete relationship. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol2013; 11: 87–100.
23.
NurseAM. Coaches and child sexual abuse prevention training: impact on knowledge, confidence, and behavior. Child Youth Serv Rev2018; 88: 395–400.
24.
McMahonJMcGannonKRZehntnerC, et al.Implementing trauma-informed approaches to coaches’ workplaces in sport to enhance their safety and wellbeing: a critical commentary. Sports Coach Rev2025: 1–22.
25.
McMahonJMcGannonKRZehntnerC, et al.Trauma-informed abuse education in sport: engaging athlete abuse survivors as educators and facilitating a community of care. Sport Educ Soc2023; 28: 958–971.
26.
ÇetinE. Türkiye’de genç sporcuların maruz kaldığı duygusal kötü muamelenin spor kurumu ile ilişkili değişkenlerle incelenmesi. Sos Der2023; 45: 29–47.
27.
ÇetinEHacısoftaoğluİ. Türkiye’de çocuk cinsel istismarının spor kurumundaki boyutu. TSH2023; 34: 71–87.
28.
ToyABOnalYAlnidelikY, et al.“Antrenör destek mi köstek mi?” güreş antrenörlerinin müsabaka içerisinde sporcularına yönelik ihmal ve istismar davranışları üzerine bir gözlem çalışması. ROL2023; Special Issue: 68–87.
29.
UğurluA. Cimnastik ve çocuk istismarı: kadın cimnastikçilerin deneyimleri. JSSR2022; 7: 400–416.
30.
International Olympic Committee. Mental health guidelines for major sporting events. Lausanne, Switzerland: International Olympic Committee, 2025.
31.
MountjoyM. Only by speaking out can we create lasting change’: what can we learn from the Dr Larry Nassar tragedy?Br J Sports Med2019; 53: 57–60.
32.
MountjoyMRhindDJTiivasA, et al.Safeguarding the child athlete in sport: a review, a framework and recommendations for the IOC youth athlete development model. Br J Sports Med2015; 49: 883–886.
33.
MountjoyMVerhelleHFinnoffJT, et al.# WhatWouldYouDo? A cross-sectional study of sports medicine physicians assessing their competency in managing harassment and abuse in sports. Br J Sports Med2024; 58: 1353–1359.
34.
T.C. Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı. Antrenör Sayıları 2020–2021. Ankara, 2021.
35.
Kadınlar için Spor ve Fiziksel Aktivite Derneği (KASFAD). Sporda Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliği Raporu. Report, Ankara, Türkiye, 2021.
36.
FowlerFJJr. Survey research methods.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2013.
37.
VearsDFGillamL. Inductive content analysis: a guide for beginning qualitative researchers. Focus Health Prof Ed2022; 23: 111–127.
38.
WillsonEKerrGBattagliaA, et al.Listening to athletes’ voices: national team athletes’ perspectives on advancing safe sport in Canada. Front Sports Act Living2022; 4: 840221.
39.
KızılgüneşM. The role of gymnastics coaches in building safe sport: A phenomenological study. Master’s Thesis. TR: Hacettepe University, 2024.
40.
T.C. Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı. Ulusal Gençlik ve Spor Politikası. Policy document, Ankara, Türkiye,2012.
41.
ÇetinEHacısoftaoğluI. Factors facilitating child abuse in sports in Turkey: the case of elite athletes. Child Youth Serv Rev2020; 116: 105120.
42.
ToksözGŞenerÜMemişE, et al.Türkiye’de toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliğini izleme raporu 2023–2024. Report, CEİD,Ankara, Türkiye, March 2025.
43.
ÖztürkPKocaC. The club management ignores us”: gender-power relations in women’s football in Turkey. Sociol Sport J2020; 38: 285–292.
44.
ErcanF. A gendered organisation: The football coaching.Master’s Thesis. TR: Hacettepe University, 2023.
45.
MatićRMMilovanovićIMBanjacB, et al.Youth athletes’ perception of existence and prevalence of aggression and interpersonal violence and their forms in Serbia. Int J Environ Res Public Health2022; 19: 1479.
46.
KrahnA. Psychological abuse in competitive and high-performance women’s volleyball. In: LangM (ed) Routledge handbook of athlete welfare.1st ed. London: Routledge, 2020, pp.69–80.
47.
YabeYHagiwaraYSekiguchiT, et al.The characteristics of coaches that verbally or physically abuse young athletes. Tohoku J Exp Med2018; 244: 297–304.
48.
ShiakouMAvgerinosAAlexopoulosA, et al.The management of harassment and abuse in sports: a European investigation of the experts’ opinions. J Glob Sport Manag2023; 10: 1–19.
49.
SolstadGM. Reporting abuse in sport: a question of power?Eur J Sport Soc2019; 16: 229–246.
50.
TakMKimYJRhindDJ. Rights-based policies for role-bearing people: are geo-cultural norms a hindrance to cultivating safer sport?. Int Rev Sociol Sport2024; 60: 592–610.
51.
MountjoyMVertommenTDenhollanderR, et al.Effective engagement of survivors of harassment and abuse in sport in athlete safeguarding initiatives: a review and a conceptual framework. Br J Sports Med2022; 56: 232–238.
52.
WardenSDoncasterGGreenoughK, et al.Examining sports coaches’ mental health literacy: evidence from UK athletics. Sport Educ Soc2024; 29: 908–922.
53.
RhindDJOwusu-SekyereF. Evaluating the impacts of working towards the international safeguards for children in sport. Sport Manage Rev2020; 23: 104–116.
54.
International Olympic Committee. IOC strategic framework on human rights Lausanne, Switzerland, 2022.
55.
International Olympic Committee. Code of ethics. Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024.
56.
IngramBMKossmanMKVegtCBV, et al.An in-depth analysis of youth sport coaches’ perceptions of sport culture, safety, and injury prevention. J Sport Soc Issues2024; 49: 15–39.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
