SafeSport Center 'in potential crisis' according to panel's survey of Olympic system

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A wide-ranging survey into the state of the U.S. Olympic system leveled criticism at the U.S. Center for SafeSport, with a draft report concluding that feedback collected about the 6-year-old agency “paints a picture of a center in potential crisis.” SafeSport Center CEO Ju’Riese Colon was among the Olympic leaders who testified Wednesday at a hearing held by the Congressionally appointed Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics that produced the survey — a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press — that will be used to craft recommendations for possible changes to the Olympic system. Grace French, a survivor of former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar who founded The Army of Survivors advocacy group, said many athletes who reported abuse to the center “didn’t understand what the process was.” “And there was a loss of trust throughout that process,” she said. The report cited what it called an “unsettlingly low” 7.3% of respondents who found the center to be “extremely effective.” That number jumped to 32.6% when adding those who labeled the center ‘very effective.’ That compared to 63.8% who said the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which was created in 2000 to combat performance-enhancing drugs in sports, was extremely or very effective. “In summary, while USADA enjoys robust confidence in its role in anti-doping, SafeSport grapples with mixed perceptions concerning its effectiveness in ensuring athlete safety,” the report said.