SMART FY 2024 Keep Young Athletes Safe

This program will fund the development and implementation of a program that aims to safeguard amateur athletes through the prevention of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in the athletic programs of the United States Olympic Paralympic Committee, each national governing body and each Paralympic sports organization. Through the program, new training materials are developed and tested to identify, investigate and educate about the prevention of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in amateur athletic programs, and ongoing and comprehensive training is provided. Additionally, policies and standards are developed to safeguard athletes from sexual, physical and emotional abuse occurring as a result of participation in amateur athletic programs, including background screening policies, and training and abuse prevention policies and standards at national, statewide and local levels are implemented. To ensure policies and procedures are followed correctly, regular and random audits are conducted and evidence based practices and procedures to document and demonstrate effectiveness are identified and implemented. The program also disseminates information about safeguarding amateur athletes against abuse and requires reporting of any allegations of sexual and physical abuse, following applicable state and federal reporting requirements.