Sport is often celebrated as a path to health, confidence, belonging and opportunity. But for many, it can also be a space where abuse, exploitation and violence occur and are too often minimised or ignored.
In this episode, we explore what abuse in sport really looks like, from harmful coaching practices and emotional abuse to sexual violence and online harassment. We discuss why safeguarding cannot stop at policies and reporting mechanisms, what evidence from survivors and practitioners tells us about prevention, how cultures of silence are maintained within sporting systems, and how sports can be an incredible tool for development and cultural change.
Your host is: Ayesha Mago, Global Advocacy Director, Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)
This episode’s guests are:
Joanna Maranhão, Olympic Swimmer, and Network Coordinator, Sport & Rights Alliance
Roshika Deo, GEDSI and Safeguarding Advisor for Team Up
🎧 Listen to learn:
➡︎ What abuse and violence can look like across different sporting environments
➡︎ Why lasting change requires a shift in culture, not just policy
➡︎ How abuse has been normalised in the pursuit of high performance
➡︎ Why research studies and storytelling are both needed to create meaningful, lasting change
🌍Learn more about the SVRI Forum 2026 here!
⚡Follow SVRI on Instagram.
🌐Check out the SVRI website.
🎥 Watch our film on YouTube.
💬 Connect with the SVRI svri@svri.org and our host, Elizabeth Dartnall
🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production
Resources:
Sports & Rights Alliance website
UNESCO and the Sport & Rights Alliance’s report, Toward Safe Sport: Policy Recommendations from People Impacted by Violence in Sport
Team Up’s Embedding Feminist Approaches in Sport for Development
Sport and Dev, the international platform on sport and development
UNICEF Resource, Measuring Violence against Children in Organized Sport in Line with the International Classification of Violence against Children