Learning from Young Canadians: Perspectives on Reporting and Disclosing Interpersonal Violence in High-Performance Sport

Interpersonal violence (IV) remains a prominent concern in high-performance sport. In Canada, safeguarding policies and reporting mechanisms have been implemented to address these concerns. However, reporting access remains limited for younger and non-national team athletes. As a result, little is understood about the potential influences of newly implemented systems on young athletes’ willingness to disclose or report IV. Existing research has examined adult athletes’ retrospective experiences of telling someone about sexual IV but less is understood about how young athletes – including athletes of diverse social identities – perceive telling someone about all forms of IV. We conducted semi-structured interviews with six young Canadian athletes (ages 15–25) to explore their perspectives on telling someone about IV in sport. Participants ranged in social identities and were currently competing in high-performance settings. Data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Barriers to telling someone about IV included uncertainties about what constitutes IV, fears of negative consequences, perceived pressures to stay silent, and perceptions of emotional costs. Motivators included a desire to protect others and a sense of empowerment from others sharing IV experiences. Participants recommended trauma-informed, accessible, and age-appropriate choices for services and initiatives for disclosing and reporting IV in sport. Results were interpreted through the Bioecological Model to highlight how processes, personal factors, contexts, and time can shape young peoples’ decisions to tell someone about IV. This study contributes to growing efforts to improve safeguarding in Canadian sport. Results highlight the need for youth-informed strategies that prioritize prevention and recognize the complexities of telling someone about IV.