Athlete Protection for all NGB's in the US

Athlete Protections Efforts in USA Swimming lead the way, but the USOC is taking actions to parallel efforts to keep athletes safe. On the USOC side the effort are led by four-time Olympian Nina Kemppel who has called on the USOC to take a "leadership role"

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) released a report today from its Working Group for Safe Training Environments that details key recommendations for the consideration of the USOC board of directors and USOC Chief Executive Officer Scott Blackmun, and calls on the USOC to take a "leadership role" in promoting safe training environments.

"I'm grateful to Nina and the entire working group for their dedication to this incredibly important initiative," said Blackmun. "This is a thorough report with a set of recommendations that we will promptly consider."

The working group, led by four-time U.S. Olympian Nina Kemppel, presented their findings to the USOC board of directors over the weekend. Kemppel's report includes a suggestion that the USOC board adopt a policy statement regarding the utmost importance of athlete safety. During Saturday's meeting, the board unanimously voted to adopt the following statement:

"Sexual and physical abuse is intolerable and in direct conflict with Olympic Ideals. The USOC will work with its partners to play a leadership role promoting safe sport environments for athletes, with a goal of implementing new policies, safeguards and protective practices within six months."

In addition to calling on the USOC to take a leadership role, the report calls for the development of centralized and standardized resources for use by National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and encourages NGBs to adopt policies, practices, programs and tools to address sexual and physical misconduct.

"The commitment that Scott has shown to this issue is to be commended, and it's a great first step toward addressing the issue of athlete safety in a comprehensive way," said Kemppel. "We have invested many hours into making this a meaningful report, and I trust that Scott and his team will be vigilant in the coming months to ensure that our recommendations are implemented in the most effective manner."

Members of the working group include:

· Nina Kemppel, Vice Chair of the Athletes Advisory Committee and four-time U.S. Olympian (Skiing)

· Alison Alfers, Attorney

· Antonia Baum, Psychiatrist

· Suzette Bewley, Attorney

· Jim Fox, Asst. Executive Director of U.S. Figure Skating

· Amy Gantz, Redwood Group Insurance

· Rita Gladstone, Coach and Parent

· Raymond Mey, FBI / Law Enforcement

· Steve Stenersen, Executive Director of US Lacrosse

· Justin Wilcox, U.S. Olympian (Diving)

A full copy of the working group's report is available at www.TeamUSA.org