SafeSport for gymnastics parents

Keeping kids safe is every gym's first job, and parents are an important part of it. Here's what SafeSport is, what the rules require, and what to do if something doesn't feel right. For the bigger picture, see the ultimate guide to gymnastics for parents.

What is SafeSport?

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent organization that works to prevent abuse in Olympic and Paralympic sports, including gymnastics. It trains adults who work with athletes, sets policies that protect minors, and investigates reports of misconduct.

The rules that protect young athletes

The Center's Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies, often called MAAPP, set rules for adults who work with athletes under 18. They include:

• One-on-one interactions. Every one-on-one interaction between an adult and a minor athlete must be observable and interruptible: others must be able to see it and stop it easily.
• Electronic communication. Rules for how adults may message and connect with minor athletes.
• Travel, locker rooms, and massage. Rules for team travel, changing areas, and any treatment or rubdowns.

Each sport's governing body adopts these policies for its members. Your gym should be able to tell you how it follows them.

What USA Gymnastics requires

USA Gymnastics requires its adult members who have regular contact with minor athletes to pass a background check and complete the U.S. Center for SafeSport's core training before they have contact with athletes, and to renew the SafeSport training each year.

Warning signs to know

• An adult who seeks time alone with a child, out of view of others
• Private messages, social media contact, or gifts kept from parents
• Special treatment that singles one child out
• Pushing physical or emotional boundaries, or asking a child to keep secrets
• A child who suddenly doesn't want to go to practice or avoids a particular adult

None of these proves abuse on its own, but each is worth asking about.

Questions to ask your gym

• Are all coaches and staff USA Gymnastics members with current background checks and SafeSport training?
• How does the gym follow SafeSport's rules on one-on-one time and messaging?
• Can parents observe practice?
• Who do I talk to with a concern?

How to report a concern

• If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
• Report suspected child abuse to local authorities first. The Center asks families to contact local law enforcement or child protective services in addition to, and before, reporting to it.
• Then report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport online or by phone at 833-5US-SAFE (587-7233). Reports can be made anonymously.
• Check a coach's history. The U.S. Center for SafeSport's Centralized Disciplinary Database lists individuals who have been sanctioned or are under temporary restrictions, searchable by name.

You don't need proof to report a concern. Investigators take it from there.

Talk with your child

Tell your gymnast they can always come to you, that no adult should ask them to keep secrets, and that they won't be in trouble for telling. Kids who know they'll be believed are safer kids.

For more on finding a gym you trust, read how to choose a gymnastics gym and evaluate coaches.