Athlete Rights and Responsibilities - Frequently Asked Questions

In this website resource, Team USA athlete rights are divided into six categories:

• Access to Information – The documents and resources that must be publicly available and can be accessed by athletes.
• Voice & Representation– The ways in which athletes are represented and how their voices can be heard across the Movement.
• Equity & Diversity– The protections athletes have against discrimination.
• Opportunity to Participate & Team Selection– The rights and protections that help ensure athletes have access to a fair and defined selection process as they attempt to qualify for Team USA.
• Safe Environment – Protections that create safe competition spaces and safeguard athletes on and off the field of play.
• Grievance & Dispute Resolution – The process by which athletes can file complaints and have those complaints resolved.
• The responsibilities of Team USA athletes have also been explained on this webpage. Please visit each page for more information and to learn more about the responsibilities of the USOPC and NGBs to protect your rights as a Team USA athlete.

• If there is an applicable governing document (e.g. the USOPC or NGB bylaws, NGB policy or procedure), start there.
• If your question involves a general policy issue within your NGB, and you want to know if your athlete representative is aware and/or is involved in resolving it, contact your Team USA AC representative. You can find your representative on the Team USA Athletes' Commission page.
• If you need confidential, independent, advice about the issue or help resolving a problem, reach out to the Athlete Ombuds (Ombudsman@usathlete.org).
• If your question involves resources and benefits you receive from the USOPC, contact the USOPC Athlete Services team.
• If you need to report allegations of sexual or physical misconduct, report your concern to the U.S. Center for SafeSport or the USOPC/your NGB’s athlete safety department.

Research - We recommend you start by researching and learning more about the applicable policies and procedures, and this website may be a good starting place if your concern involves one of the categories we have identified.

Report a Concern - If you are looking to report a concern, the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the USOPC and your NGB should have a number of reporting mechanisms. You can visit this website for a list of potential avenues to report concerns, and when to use them.

File a Complaint - If you are considering filing a formal complaint, also known as a “grievance,” you can find more information about the types of complaints that can be filed within your NGB’s governance documents and policies. You can also find more information on the different types of complaints or grievances available through the USOPC on the USOPC's Dispute Resolution Unit’s webpage. Team USA Athletes can also reach out to the Athlete Ombuds to discuss the process for filing and your rights and responsibilities within a grievance process.

Explore Resources - The contacts listed above in the network of support may be a good place to start if you would like to speak to someone directly.

The USOPC has a number of reporting tools available. Visit this website for a list of the tools and resources, and when to use them.

All cases of suspected emotional, physical, or sexual abuse of a minor must be reported to law enforcement immediately. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 immediately. To learn more about reporting requirements, visit the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s website or contact its Resource & Process Advisors.

Each NGB is responsible for operating and governing their respective sport in the United States. Often, it is best to first report to and access your NGB’s processes when it is a matter under their jurisdiction.

The USOPC is responsible for certifying NGBs and monitoring their compliance with the requirements outlined in the Ted Stevens Act and the USOPC Bylaws. Generally speaking, athletes should consider reporting something to the USOPC if involves a matter under the USOPC’s jurisdiction (e.g., Delegation Events, Olympic and Paralympic Training Centers), or if they have concerns about their NGB's compliance with applicable requirements or their handling of a matter reported to them.

Team USA athletes can also reach out to the Athlete Ombuds (Ombudsman@usathlete.org) to confidentially discuss their reporting options.

The Athlete Ombuds is available to assist Team USA athletes with: cost-free independent, confidential advice about all sport-related rules, policies and procedures, resolving athlete concerns, the relative value of engaging legal counsel to assist with disputes, and the role, responsibility and jurisdiction of the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

The Athlete Ombuds has a list of attorneys on their website, which anyone can review and contact if they would like to seek advice. There is no obligation to work with the attorneys on their list, and we encourage you to speak with and choose whomever you please. Any engagement and/or fee arrangement would be between you and your selected attorney.

The Athlete Ombuds also manages an Athlete Legal Aid Program for Team USA athletes. The program guidelines, eligibility criteria and application process can be found at TeamUSA.org.

Each reporting process and organization will have its own unique privacy requirements or approach to confidentiality. If you have any questions or concerns about how a report will be managed, you can contact the organization you are reporting to, note your concerns about the report or information being shared in your report and/or look for an anonymous reporting option.

The USOPC recognizes it can be difficult to report an allegation of misconduct and strives to remove barriers to reporting. Reports can be made via online form, email or phone, and can be made anonymously. In case of an emergency, call 911 immediately. Visit this website for a list of the reporting tools and resources, and when to use them.

There are a number of ways to report prohibited conduct and a number of those cases fall under the SafeSport Code. The following types of prohibited conduct are included in the SafeSport Code:

• Criminal Charge or Disposition
• Child Abuse
• Sexual Misconduct
• Emotional and Physical Misconduct

To learn more about how these types of misconduct are defined and the jurisdiction of the US Center for SafeSport, refer to the SafeSport Code.

The Integrity Portal is also available to report compliance and ethics issues. Visit this website for a list of the reporting tools and resources, and when to use them.

There are policies and procedures in place across the Olympic & Paralympic Movement to safeguard and protect individuals who raise and report concerns. Go to the Safe Environment webpage for more information.

NGBs are required to publish and implement a selection process for Delegation Events and other Protected Competitions as defined in the USOPC Bylaws. Athletes attempting to qualify for these competitions should read and familiarize themselves with the published selection procedures and the process used to select the team. When athletes have concerns about selection procedures or a selection process, they can:

• Raise any questions or concerns with their NGB staff
• Contact their athlete representatives. NGBs are required to have a committee with 33% athlete representation that develops, approves, and implements selection criteria for Protected Competitions
• Contact the Athlete Ombuds (Ombudsman@usathlete.org) for independent and confidential advice
• File a grievance

To learn more about athlete rights and responsibilities related to team selection, visit the Opportunity to Participate webpage.

Please visit the Athlete Voice and Representation webpage for additional information on the requirements for NGBs and the USOPC to ensure athlete voice in the governance of the Movement.

Contact the Team USA Athletes' Commission (aac@teamusa-aac.org) or find your Team USA AC representative on the TeamUSA Athletes' Commission Page.

For each sport, there are two types of athlete representation – the Team USA Athletes' Commission, and a sport-specific, NGB Athletes’ Advisory Council.

A Team USA Athlete's Commission representative is elected by their peers to serve on the Team USA AC. The Team USA AC representative automatically becomes a member of their NGB board of directors. The Team USA AC representative focuses on issues impacting the entire Team USA athlete community. Each NGB has one USOPC representative and an alternate representative.

An NGB AAC representative is elected by their peers to serve on their internal NGB AAC. An NGB AAC representative works closely with athletes within their sport and typically focuses on specific issues and matters impacting their sport. The composition of each NGB internal AAC is different and dictated by each NGB’s bylaws.

Communication between the Team USA AC representative and the internal NGB AAC representatives is vital to ensuring the athlete voice is heard and matters are appropriately addressed in the movement.

Contact the Team USA Athletes' Commission (aac@teamusa-aac.org) for more information.

Visit the USOPC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion webpage for information about the services and resources provided to athletes, staff and NGBs.

Visit the NGB Audit webpage for the NGB audit policy and procedures, as well as NGB audit reports.

View the Sports Benefits Statement to view how USOPC resources were allocated to athletes and NGBs.

You can also review the Access to Information webpage for a list of additional resources that are publicly available to athletes.

Athletes can reach out to their athlete representative to ask questions, provide feedback and understand how athlete representation was involved in the drafting of a particular athlete agreement. Contact the Team USA Athletes' Commission (aac@teamusa-aac.org) or find your AAC representative on the Team USA AC webpage.

Team USA athletes can reach out to the Athlete Ombuds (Ombudsman@usathlete.org) for independent and confidential advice about athlete agreements.