In an artcile for the , Dr Ellie Gennings explored the risks of young athletes facing intense scrutiny and high expectations, despite still being children.聽
A聽recent report聽commissioned by Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England, has found evidence of a 鈥渃ulture of fear鈥� in swimming clubs. The report finds that children involved in competitive swimming can be treated like professional athletes, and the importance of sporting performance held above all else.聽
Sport can be聽a positive influence on young people鈥檚 wellbeing. Children are encouraged to participate in sport, and the aspiration to become an elite athlete is widely seen as an admirable goal.聽
Many children will find competitive sport enjoyable and rewarding. But problems can occur when the athletic identity of a young person overshadows their identity as a child. There is a risk that clubs, coaches and parents may treat young people as athletes rather than as children. And this can take place at all levels of sport, from children taking part in sports like swimming at local clubs to those who compete at the highest level.聽
One participant in the Swim England report said that a focus on swimming performance led to their social and academic life suffering, and that they would frequently push themselves in training to the point of vomiting or collapse to please their coach. 鈥淭he way in which the sport is delivered to children and hiding under the label of 鈥榟igh performance athletes鈥� is driving people away from the sport they once loved,鈥� they said.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e not here to have fun, we鈥檙e here to win!鈥� one parent told a researcher for the Swim England report.
A focus on sporting success above all can compromise children鈥檚 wellbeing and safety. Young people may be exposed to environments that are highly pressurised, psychologically demanding and often tolerant of abuse.聽
Certain practices that take place in youth sports, such as coaches and parents聽screaming on the sidelines, that would be considered unacceptable in other settings. A teacher would be unable to behave like this towards their charges in a school setting, for instance.聽
In football academies, child athletes are potential future stars 鈥� and money spinners. A business mindset shifts the focus from nurturing children to moulding them聽into 鈥渁ssets鈥澛爁or聽potential profit.聽
Treating children like products rather than unique individuals with their own childhood experiences overshadows children鈥檚 vital developmental needs.聽
Accelerated adulthoods
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently spoke about the need to protect young football players, including from聽media attention, as academy youth players made their debut in senior-level games. 鈥淏ut from tomorrow, leave the boys in the corner, please. And don鈥檛 ask: 鈥榃here are they now? Where are they now? Where are they now?鈥欌�澛爃e told reporters聽after Liverpool鈥檚 FA cup win over Southampton.
Darts player Luke Littler competed in the World Darts Championships and other major darts tournaments at the age of 16. Littler has received intense levels of public scrutiny that extended beyond the reaches of sport: his private life, including his relationship status, has聽made headlines.聽
Attention on the personal life of a minor rushes them towards adulthood but also shows a lack of respect for the privacy of young athletes: a significant safeguarding concern.聽
Children鈥檚 names have even been included in聽reports about doping.聽Kamila Valieva, a Russian figure skater, experienced the unwelcome publicity of having her聽positive test聽revealed at the age of just 15, causing controversy at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
This stands in stark contrast to practices elsewhere, such as in聽courts of law. Article 16 of the聽UN Convention on the Rights of the Child聽outlines children鈥檚 right to privacy.聽
A balanced approach
Children have the right聽to be protected from all forms of harm in sport. This extends to their right to participate in sports within a safe and enjoyable environment. There are evidently distinct challenges that arise when young people compete in elite and often adult-dominated sporting spaces.聽
The聽abuse of children in sports聽is a concern at both community and elite levels. It is essential to address these concerns to ensure that the pursuit of athletic excellence does not come at the cost of the fundamental rights and safety of young people.聽
When children are treated solely as athletes, the excitement around聽their potential聽means that the fact that they are still minors may be forgotten. They must be recognised as children first, especially when their performance in elite sports takes place prior to reaching adulthood.聽
It is the moral obligation of all adults involved in sport to develop an approach that keeps children in sport safe, even when they are classed as elite athletes.
This article originally appeared in the
