Harassment and abuse can be based on any grounds including race, religion, colour, creed, ethnic origin, physical attributes, gender, sexual orientation, age disability, socio-economic status and athletic ability. It can include a one-off incident or a series of incidents. It may be in person or online. Harassment may be deliberate, unsolicited and coercive.

Harassment and abuse often result from an abuse of authority, meaning the improper use of a position of influence, power or authority by an individual against another person.

Behaviours such as the below must not be allowed to happen in sports:

• Sexual Misconduct
• Emotional Misconduct
• Physical Misconduct

Sexual Misconduct include but are not limited to:

• Sexual or Gender-related Harassment: Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours, or other unwanted conduct of a sexual nature. This can be verbal, non-verbal, graphic, physical, or otherwise.
• Non-consensual Sexual Contact (or attempts to commit the same): Sexual Contact is any intentional touching of a sexual nature, however slight, with any object or body part
• Non-consensual Sexual Intercourse (or attempts to commit the same)

Click here to know more about Sexual Harassment and Abuse in sport.

Emotional Misconduct include, but are not limited to:

• Verbal Acts: Repeatedly and excessively verbally assaulting or attacking someone personally in a manner that serves no productive training or motivational purpose. (Example: calling someone worthless, fat, disgusting)
• Acts that Deny Attention or Support: Ignoring or isolating an athlete for extended periods of time, including routinely or arbitrarily excluding the athlete from training.
• Bullying: Verbal ridiculing, taunting, name-calling or intimidating or threatening to cause someone harm.
• Social, including cyberbullying: Use of rumours or false statements about someone to diminish that person’s reputation; using electronic communications, social media or other technology to harass, frighten, intimidate or humiliate someone; socially excluding someone and asking others to do the same.

Physical Misconduct include, but are not limited to:

• Contact violations: Punching, beating, biting, striking, strangling or slapping another; intentionally hitting another with objects, such as sporting equipment; encouraging or knowingly permitting an Athlete to return to play prematurely following a serious injury (e.g., a concussion) and without the clearance of a medical professional.
• Non-contact violations: Isolating a person in a confined space, such as locking an Athlete in a small space; forcing an Athlete to assume a painful stance or position for no athletic purpose (e.g., requiring an athlete to kneel on a harmful surface); withholding, recommending against, or denying adequate hydration, nutrition, medical attention or sleep; providing alcohol to a person under the legal drinking age; providing illegal drugs or nonprescribed medications to another.
• Physical Acts: Repeated or severe physically aggressive behaviours, including but not limited to, throwing sport equipment, water bottles or chairs at or in the presence of others, punching walls, windows or other objects.

What is Safe Sport?

Help us protect athletes and unite to stop all forms of harassment and abuse in sport.

Witnessing harassment and abuse and not saying anything can give the impression that the behaviour is OK. If you’re experiencing or if you suspect someone else is suffering from harassment and abuse, you may report as follows:

• If the incident happens prior to, during or immediately after a Multi-Sports Games (including but not limited to the SEA Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games), please report to whistleblowing@olympic.org.my; or
• if the incident happens during the Olympic Games, please report to the IOC Integrity and Compliance Hotline here;
• Generally, you may refer to the OCM’s Whistleblowing Policy 

What happens after you report to whistleblowing@olympic.org.my?