NOT IN MY SPORT.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.

IT STOPS HERE.

USA Taekwondo maintains a zero-tolerance standard for sexual abuse, harassment, and misconduct at every level of the sport.

From awareness to action

Make sexual boundaries unmistakable.

Preventing sexual abuse, harassment, grooming, and exploitation is the campaign’s highest priority. Athletes and adults need clear language for sexual misconduct, clear professional boundaries, and clear reporting routes.

Serious concern and fair process belong together: protect immediate safety, describe conduct accurately, preserve privacy, and let the authority with jurisdiction assess the facts.

Use precise language

Name the conduct accurately.

Sexual abuse is a grave harm. Many forms of sexual abuse are crimes, and sexual misconduct may also breach safeguarding rules even when it does not meet a criminal definition. Never wait to determine the final legal label before reporting a concern through the appropriate channels.

Sexual misconduct must be taken seriously without treating every conflict or questionable decision as the same kind of harm.

Describe what happened and let the authority with jurisdiction assess it.

Sexual misconductSexual comments, harassment, grooming, coercion, exploitation, abuse, or sexualized contact require focused safeguarding attention.
Other policy or conduct concernsBullying, retaliation, unsafe coaching, discrimination, and nonsexual boundary violations may still be serious but should be identified through the standards that apply to them.
Overlapping conductA situation may involve more than one concern. Report direct facts rather than forcing the conduct into a single label.
Fair assessmentTaking a concern seriously means protecting safety, privacy, and the integrity of the process without assuming an allegation has already been proven.

REPORT CONCERNS

Speak up.

If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911. Sexual Misconduct involving a Participant in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement should be reported immediately and directly to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Reports can be made online or by phone, and may be submitted by athletes, parents, coaches, officials, or witnesses.

United States reporting optionsThe SafeSport link and phone number below apply to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. 911 is the U.S. emergency number; elsewhere, contact local emergency services.

Report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport Call the SafeSport hotline833-587-7233

Outside the United States?Reporting systems and legal duties vary. Start with the appropriate authority in your country and do not delay any report required by local law.Find the appropriate reporting route.

Know the standard

Appropriate coaching respects boundaries.

Appropriate coaching

Safe coaching is professional, transparent, and centered on the athlete’s development. It respects personal boundaries and makes room for athletes and parents to ask questions.

Uses clear, professional communicationInstructions and feedback stay focused on training, performance, and athlete wellbeing.
Explains physical corrections before contactThe athlete understands why contact is needed and has an opportunity to voice discomfort.
Respects an athlete who expresses discomfortA coach stops, listens, and finds a safer alternative instead of dismissing the concern.
Keeps interactions observable and interruptibleOther people can see the interaction and readily enter or stop it.
Uses approved, transparent communication channelsMessages follow policy and include the appropriate adults rather than moving into secrecy.
Welcomes appropriate parent involvementParents can observe, ask questions, and understand how and where coaching occurs.

Sexual conduct that raises concern

Focus on the sexualized words, contact, requests, pressure, or misuse of authority involved. A person may share direct facts without deciding the final classification.

Sexualized remarks or questionsComments about an athlete’s body, relationships, or sexuality can violate professional boundaries.
Requests for sexual conversation or contentAn adult must never use a sport relationship to seek sexual images, messages, or interaction from an athlete.
Unwanted or sexualized physical contactContact without a legitimate coaching purpose, consent, or respect for expressed discomfort requires attention.
Coercion or exploitationPressure, manipulation, threats, or misuse of trust can remove meaningful choice.
Sexual opportunity tied to sport authoritySelection, advancement, access, or punishment must never be used to obtain sexual compliance.
Retaliation after refusal or reportingLost opportunities, exclusion, threats, or punishment connected to rejecting or reporting sexual conduct require prompt attention.

For athletes

Your discomfort matters.

You are allowed to set boundaries.

You can leave an unsafe situation.

You can tell someone you trust.

You may report what you experienced without investigating it yourself.

A report begins an assessment; it is not a verdict.

Sexual misconduct is never the athlete’s fault.

Independent perspectives