ABSTRACT
Children and young people comprise a significant proportion of sports participants, mainly through engagement in school-based physical education and in out-of-school clubs and community programmes (Kirk 2005; Sport England 2010). They are the lifeblood of sport – its future ‘playforce’ – medallists and recreational athletes, administrators and coaches. Without a healthy and positive foundation in sport this source of talent is compromised. The purpose of this chapter is to explore some of the ways in which children are harmed in sport and the policy goals being pursued to prevent such harms. The chapter opens by examining definitions of child abuse and protection in the interna-
tional context and by identifying how these terms form part of a more general discourse that has political connotations. Next, a summary of available knowledge on this subject is provided. The arguments for and against including formal child protection policy and practice in sports development are then considered, followed by an account of child protection policy and practice in sport. The status confusion that often attends notions of ‘junior’ in sport is discussed, with particular attention paid to how this confusion is compounded at the elite level and the implications this has for child protection. Very few attempts have been made to evaluate child protection in sport but a summary of the available studies is given before some final reflections on a future agenda for protecting child athletes.
