DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Center for SafeSport (the Center) announced that the 2025 Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP) are in effect as of January 1, 2025. The MAAPP is a landmark set of rules developed by the Center to protect young athletes from abuse and misconduct.
Sports organizations known as national governing bodies (NGBs) within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movement must adhere to the required minimum standards detailed in the MAAPP. The U.S. Center for SafeSport then conducts annual audits to ensure compliance.
The 2025 MAAPP was released in January of last year to ensure that NGBs had time to update prevention policies at all levels of their sport. During this time, the Center worked with NGBs to ensure the inclusion of new mandatory requirements.
“SafeSport’s MAAPP sets the first and only national standard for abuse prevention in youth sports,” Ju’Riese Colón, CEO, U.S. Center for SafeSport said. “While sport organizations within the Olympic and Paralympic movement are required to follow MAAPP, sport leaders invested in protecting young athletes at any level of competition should all consider utilizing these effective prevention policies.”
The MAAPP aims to reduce common risks for abuse and misconduct and keeps NGBs and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) accountable for enforcing prevention policies. The MAAPP has three main components:
- The Education and Training portion of the policy requires certain adult participants to complete training based upon their regular contact or authority over minor athletes.
- The Organizational Requirements apply to the USOPC, NGBs, and their local affiliated organizations (LAOs) and mandates the tracking of trainings completed by their adult participants and implementation of prevention policies throughout their sport’s governance structure.
- The Required Prevention Policies consist of seven separate policies specific to the sport environment, including limiting one-on-one interactions between adults and minors, and restrictions on lodging, transportation, and electronic communications.
“To bring about authentic and lasting culture change, accountability must exist at every level of an organization from leadership and coaches to parents and athletes,” Hannah Hinton, Vice President of Organizational Development & Compliance said. “The MAAPP provides a framework for sports organizations, and other youth-serving groups, to recognize the potential for abuse and set up guardrails to protect against it.”
The MAAPP is updated every three years following a year-long review and engagement with stakeholders, including the USOPC, NGBs, athletes, external experts in the fields of abuse prevention and youth protection, medical professionals, athletes, coaches, and others. The 2025 MAAPP is the third iteration of the policy, which was first released in 2019 and significantly overhauled in 2022. Updates to the 2025 version were minimal as the jurisdictional scope, definitions, and application of policy are largely the same as the 2022 version.
Need for Abuse Prevention in Sport
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is the nation’s only independent organization dedicated to ending sexual, physical, and emotional abuse in U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sport. The Center emerged in response to high profile cases of sexual abuse of minor athletes within Olympic and Paralympic sport in the mid-2010s. With the mission of making athlete well-being the centerpiece of the nation’s sport culture, the Center has since been setting safety policies, and receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints of abuse and misconduct. The Center also serves as an educational resource for sports organizations at all levels, from recreational sports organizations to professional leagues.
With the goal of ensuring athletes within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement are safe, supported, and strengthened, the Center:
- Establishes safety policies, including the SafeSport Code and the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP).
- Investigates and resolves allegations of abuse and misconduct and levies sanctions, including temporary and permanent bans from sport.
- Delivers comprehensive abuse prevention education within and outside of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement.
About the U.S. Center for SafeSport
The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 codified the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the Center), as the nation’s safe sport organization. It furthered the Center’s independence while underscoring its authority to hold individuals accountable. It also charged the Center with developing policies, procedures, and training to prevent abuse and misconduct in sport.
In October of 2020, the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 became law, even further strengthening the Center’s independence and oversight functions while mandating minimum funding requirements for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
The Center opened its doors in March of 2017.
Reporting and Resources
Report here to the U.S. Center for SafeSport if you have experienced abuse or misconduct—or if you have reasonable suspicion of abuse or misconduct—inflicted by someone in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. You can also call the Center at: 833-587-7233.
RAINN's 24/7 online hotline is available for crisis intervention, referrals, or emotional support at any time. You can also call RAINN at: 800-656-HOPE (4673).
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support at 988lifeline.org or by calling 988.
