Sports coaches turn a blind eye to violence
Ignoring injuries is regarded as normal in sports, not a problem.
Sports coaches ought to see exactly what happens during training. But they still often don’t recognise dangerous behaviour. | Photo: Yuval Zukerman / Unsplash
Recent years have brought numerous instances of violence to light in Swiss sports. Coaches ought to be the ones to notice violent behaviour and report it. But a study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen has found that they often don’t recognise it when it happens.
They surveyed almost 150 coaches, showing them different scenarios – some based on real-life situations – and asked them to classify these as either violent or harmless. In 30 percent of cases, they didn’t recognise anything violent.
They overlooked neglect especially often – this is also classified as a form of violence when it manifests as a failure to take injuries into account. The study’s lead author, Laurie Schwab, sees the problem as something systemic: “Winning is often the main focus, which can lead to certain problematic behaviour being regarded as normal in sport”, she says.
Schwab adds that important first steps have been taken, but that there’s still a long way to go before the necessary cultural shift takes place.
