Olympia 2018: IOC strengthens protection for athletes against harassment and abuse

The IOC has taken further steps to protect top athletes from harassment and abuse. Just under 100 days before the start of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea (9. till 25. February 2018), the Order of the Rings published a guide to help athletes with harassment during the Games.

The IOC reiterated its position that everyone in sport worldwide has a responsibility to “recognise and prevent forms of sexual harassment and abuse”in order to ensure a “culture of dignity, respect and safety in sport”.

The guide, which is aimed primarily at the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Sports Federations, describes, among other things, how athletes or federations should behave in the event of harassment in Pyeongchang and to whom they can turn to.

By 2016, the IOC had already made arrangements for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio. At that time, a so-called security officer was appointed in the Olympic Village, who served as a contact person and kept in touch with the local authorities. Pyeongchang is said to have such an officer again.