Coach-Athlete misconduct: victims are left unsupported with lasting trauma

A comprehensive investigation has uncovered a sexual abuse scandal within the sports world, revealing the long-term trauma athletes have endured at the hands of their coaches. 

“One in three elite athletes will experience sexual violence in sport before the age of 18,” outlined in a report by Kyniska Advocasy, a sexual abuse charity co-founded by Mhariri Maclennan, who was abused by her athletics coach. 

Charlie Webster, an award-winning broadcaster, was abused by Paul North, who was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault and one count of rape in 2002.

She said: “He would stretch you privately and then it would get closer and closer. Then it would move to massage, and then it would move to the actual - what would be seen by law - as physical sexual abuse.”

A survey conducted by the Yorkshire Post  revealed that 18.8 percent of young athletes had experienced some form of physical or emotional abuse, bullying or mistreatment. 

The results showed that coaches were inappropriately touching athletes as young as eight-years-old.

Charlie has since spoken out about her past, as the damage extends far beyond the abuse, leaving victims with lasting psychological trauma.

Dr Vyv Huddy, an academic director and doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Sheffield, said: “Complex trauma is most likely to occur in people who’ve experienced chronic, repeated and prolonged traumas. So, in a car accident, it might be a one-off event, but sexual trauma might go on for many years.” 

Victims can access help for prolonged trauma and PTSD through services such as Survivors UK and Rape Crisis England and Wales.

Charlie was abused from the age of 15 until she left the running club at 18 and shared how a fellow member of her team, Katie Shone, was also abused. 

She said: “Sadly Katie who was a very close friend of mine died by suicide last year. I know that she was abused at 15 and 16.” 

Since her death last year, Charlie Webster wrote to the Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk asking for better support services for abuse survivors. 

In the letter, she wrote: “I know Katie didn’t want her life to end. She wanted the pain inside her to stop. She wanted the awful memories of her past to stop haunting her, and she wanted an escape from the sexual abuse she suffered as a teenager that still followed her, despite how hard she tried to leave it behind.” 

Dino Nocivelli, an experienced child sexual abuse claims lawyer and partner of the Leigh Day Solicitors, said: “The clients I have represented for abuse in sport, they've all sadly suffered psychological trauma, which ranges from complex PTSD to PTSD mixed anxiety, depressive disorder, self-harm, suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts and dependence on drugs.”

The trauma also stems from the manipulation some coaches have used to maintain control and silence over their victims. 

A young gymnast, whom we have renamed Beth to maintain her anonymity, shared her experience of emotional abuse by her coach.

She said: “I think that the culture of fear allows the coaches to keep control and the cycle of abuse to keep going.

“It's so scary because they have all this power over you.”

Dr Fiona Vera Gray, a professor of Women and Child Abuse MA at London Metropolitan University, said: “There needs to be a commitment to changing the current situation that excuses and hides abuse in sports.”

Edge Hill University released a report providing data on the prevalence of interpersonal violence, abuse and maltreatment experienced by children (people under the age of 18) inside or outside sport. Over 10,000 individuals participated across Europe.

“68% of men and 61% of women reported at least one experience of psychological violence inside sport before age 18.” 

Charlie has spent years campaigning for better support for victims and changing the narrative around sexual abuse. 

She said: “People think it’s like a ‘pull them in a room and then it’s done’, but that’s not what happens. The majority of the time it’s not even aggressive in that way. It’s passive aggressive, it's manipulative aggressive, it’s emotionally aggressive, not physically. You know an abuser has to basically make you feel like it’s your fault for you to keep quiet.”

In the case of Paul North, his manipulation also extended beyond the young runners he sexually abused.

He utilised his power to isolate and prevent them from opening up about their trauma.

Becky Lyne, a former international middle-distance runner for Great Britain who was also coached by Paul North but was not sexually abused by him, said: “In hindsight, I can see now perhaps that Katie was trying to tell me at one point.”

She recalled: “It was only very subtle. Katie said, ‘Did I think it was dodgy that Paul only coached girls?’ That was something my brothers had said before, and I could dismiss it. But the fact that Katie had said it and she was in the group should have rung some alarm bells with me, and it just didn’t.”  

He manipulated his reputation among the parents and local community, making the red flags appear less noticeable. 

Becky said: “I think part of what predators do is they create so much goodwill around them that it almost puts them on a pedestal.”

Charlie expressed her thoughts about Becky’s analogy. 

She said: “Coaches have such a position of power because it’s not just about the training on a day-to-day or weekly basis. The coach holds the keys and that person's hopes, dreams and self-worth in their hands, so it’s a very powerful relationship.”

This misuse of trust can have damaging effects, causing long-lasting trauma for victims. 

Dino mentioned his concerns about society's focus on the physical pedestals seen in sport, and how coaches prioritise accolades over athlete welfare and safeguarding.

Online courses aimed at coaches are mostly known as “tick box exercises” that are ineffective in changing attitudes about inappropriate behaviour from coaches towards the athletes.

Dr Melanie Lang, a professor at Edge Hill University and Director of the Centre for Safeguarding and Child Protection in Sport (CPSS), said: “I think we have to start thinking about how we educate coaches, officials and athletes on education around safeguarding and child protection in sport.

“We need education on all forms of abuse for athletes as well as for coaches. It should not be online, and it should not be two or three-hour courses.”

One example of an educational programme for coaches, athletes and staff is the organisation, Safe4athletes.

They have programmes which include education and training around coach-athlete sexual abuse and harassment to educate coaches. 

Becky said that athletes should be required to complete a form about what is and is not acceptable coach behaviour as part of the registration process with England Athletics.

She said: “I’ve offered to put things on for free, and I’ve done a workshop for the biggest athletics club in the country, and advertised it to everyone. But I think unless people are made to do it, they don’t think it applies to them.”

Becky has worked with Kyniska advocacy on their webinar series to raise awareness of the red flags many athletes miss.

She said: “There's a phrase [red flags] that Kyniska advocacy uses that talks about how it's important to pay attention to the smaller things. They are the clues to what it could lead to or what is going on.”

Within Charlie’s campaign, she realised that under the sexual offences act, there was a loophole where coaches were not considered in a position of power. 

She said: “Her rape didn’t count as soon as she turned 16, so you can see how abhorrent the law is for that and why I pushed so hard to change it.” 

The UK has robust legislation in place to address sexual abuse, including the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Children Act 2004. 

Dr Lang mentioned an Olympic swimming coach, Paul Hickson, who was convicted of sexually assaulting the Olympic women's team and children along with his club in Swansea.

She said: “When he was finally convicted, this was a big news story because of his status, as the swimming association had ignored complaints about him. As a result of the case, there became more immediate awareness and media interest in the sexual abuse, particularly of children.”

Under the Children Act 2004, Section 11, local authorities, the police, and health services are obliged to ensure safeguarding and promote children’s welfare.

Beth experienced years of psychological abuse and said: "I didn't know who the safeguarding officer was until the year I left. I didn't know we had a safeguarding officer and the safeguarding officer was a coach, which is the wrong thing.”

Sports governing bodies such as UK Sport and Sport England set standards and regulations for safeguarding athletes. 

However, Dr Lang said: “Sport is largely autonomous; it governs itself in the UK.

“UK Sport and Sport England are not regulators in the same way Ofsted is because they provide funding to sports governing bodies.” 

UK Athletics reviewed all historical abuse cases in 2022 and found between 30 and 40 cases to be re-examined, with the abuse taking place between the years 2004 and 2020.

Beth said: “I don’t think a single day went by where I didn’t see someone getting psychologically and emotionally abused or told off about their weight.

“It's really sad to say this, but I don't know the person I can talk to. I don't know what resources there are. It's so hard to prove that what you've gone through has actually happened.”

Charlie and Katie were all kept in isolation with no therapy, psychological support or help to understand what had happened. 

Charlie said: “I believe if we had all been connected and understood what each other was going through, I genuinely believe Katie would still be here.”