Abstract
In the aftermath of the USA Gymnastics Scandal, Congress passed the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 and Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 to protect athletes from abuse. This comment examines how years of unregulated Olympic Sport controlled by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) created systems that make young athletes vulnerable to abuse. Part I provides a background of the Olympic Movement, specifically detailing events and legislation that prompted recent legislation. Part II describes the Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 and Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 and addresses their limits amidst the current culture of Olympic Sports. Specifically, it provides a case study of Track and Field coach Alberto Salazar, who abused athletes despite the Center for Safe Sport. Part III suggests measures that would not completely undermining the Amateur Sports Act, the current law establishing the USOPC. Part IV details an alternative suggestion, regulating Olympic Sport safety and wellbeing through on office within a larger administrative agency, such as the Department of Labor or Department of Health and Human Services. Administrative control and regulation may be particularly pertinent as the United States hosts the 2028 Olympic Games.
Recommended Citation
Allison Berquist,
Disqualifying Conduct: How Failure to Regulate the United States Olympic Committee Enables Athlete Abuse,
43 J. Nat’l Ass’n Admin. L. Judiciary
Iss. 2
(2023)
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/naalj/vol43/iss2/5
