Karima Wakim was in her mid-teens when she first joined the senior national mogul ski team and qualified to travel abroad.
“I was very excited to be part of the camp. I was really happy,” Wakim told ABC Sports.
But the experience quickly tarnished.
Now 19, she said she was sexually harassed by an older male teammate.
”[He was] It was inappropriate and made me feel so small and insecure about my body,” she said.
She tried to put the incident aside, but decided to speak out after returning home.
“I broke down in tears and felt like I had to tell my coach,” she said.
Wakim didn’t go into details, leaving it to coaches and parents to “figure it out,” but said he felt the process could have been better.
“Perhaps it could have been a little more formal, but… [we had] Educational sessions and team-wide sit-downs to reaffirm the national team’s qualities; [what the] This is how values should be.”
she said.
Karima Wakim says a more formal approach to reporting is needed. (Supplied)
She, too, was left with mixed feelings after making the report.
“I felt kind of guilty and thought, ‘Maybe I should have said something,'” she said.
“In that moment, I just felt like I regret reporting it. And I don’t think that’s what it’s supposed to be.”
Wakim said he has seen his team improve and feels more comfortable, but that more can be done.
“I think coaches and support staff can help with that. Education is really the biggest thing, recognizing this and telling people that it’s not okay,” she said.
“It might be a joke to some people, but you never know how the person you said it to will take it and deal with it.”
Confusion, disillusionment, fear of reporting
Wakim’s experience was shared by other athletes who took part in the ABC’s Australian Women’s Sport Elite Athlete Survey.
A young elite swimmer said she suffered years of emotional abuse and harassment from her male teammates.
“There were many times I thought he was going to hurt me or worse. He was going to get other guys involved too,” she wrote.
“When I reported it to my coach, he said he saw everything that was going on in the team and that it wasn’t happening.
“At first I naively believed he cared about me and had my best interests at heart, but I later realized he was protecting his favorite athlete and trying to silence me.”
Another athlete said she was raped by her national team’s head coach.
“I reported it and an investigation was conducted, which dragged on for months and was a horribly degrading process,” she wrote.
”[The sporting organisation] He covered it up and was suspended from coaching for a year. Through the process, I learned that this wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that. ”
La Trobe University, the University of Sydney and the University of Victoria recently published research into gender-based violence against women in sport, including physical, sexual and psychological harm.
Associate Professor Kirsty Forsdyke, from La Trobe School of Rural Health, said research into the prevalence of the problem was currently limited, but clear themes emerged from the 27 women and gender diverse people she interviewed.
“When people spoke up, they didn’t know where to turn. The policy was very opaque, very unclear,” Dr. Forsdijk said.
“People may start something and nothing happens, or they may be told, ‘There’s nothing we can do.’ Or they may be told, ‘Don’t worry.’ That’s exactly what happens. You just have to get used to it. ”
Athletes sometimes don’t know where to turn for help. (Getty Images)
This led to disillusionment and many women leaving the sport altogether, she said.
“I think this is something pretty tragic that’s going on, and the sports world isn’t listening to it enough, or at least not listening enough to do something about it.”
Researchers spoke to athletes, volunteers and administrators from the grassroots level to elite sports, and many shared similar frustrations, including being disbelieved, being fired, losing playing or coaching opportunities, and facing threatening legal proceedings.
“We had about 20 people sue sports organizations. The first time they ignored us. The second time we were told it wasn’t their authority. And the third time we were just told, ‘That’s not our job.’
And I’m like, ‘Who’s doing the job of solving this for me? ’ I remember thinking. ”
– Anonymous participant
“You try to explain to men in a sporting environment that the lights on the oval cannot be turned off until all female participants have left safely. They don’t understand that, because they have never feared being dragged into the bushes and raped on a football oval at 8:30 at night.”
– Anonymous participant
“They never followed their own documented processes for security and support for us. They made promises and they actively went against them. They gassed us almost the entire time.
This person is still technically a coach. And a lot of women know in that space that’s the person you’re avoiding. And it’s absolutely insane that this is happening and that this is the case. ”
– Anonymous participant
Lillie Luney is a national level rower and in that role she spends a lot of time with a predominantly male coaching staff.
Lillie Luney has witnessed sexual harassment from male leaders in sports. (Supplied)
She said she witnessed sexual harassment that was “out of control.”
“I can easily think of about five names of male coaches who have made sexually suggestive statements,” she told ABC Sports.
“Or I’ve been outspoken about the female rowers, the girls who are my colleagues, who are my friends, who I went to school with, who were on the national team with me. [the coaches have] They talked about how they looked and talked about their bodies and physiques in sexual terms.
“When I was younger, I didn’t say anything. [I] It was very uncomfortable just sitting there. ”
The 26-year-old said that although she has now called several coaches on the spot, there is an atmosphere of reluctance to report the behavior.
“What do you mean? Because the people I’m reporting this to are the guys I rowed with…and nothing I say will happen.”
she said.
Lily Rennie says sport needs to create a more inclusive culture to stamp out sexual harassment. (Supplied)
Other respondents to our survey had similar sentiments.
“My sport is swimming on the beach. Paddling style is lying down on my lap.
“During training, other players on the team would often make sexual comments about my body and what they wanted to do to me sexually.
”Even when formal charges were filed against them, the surf club quickly dismissed them. ”
– Anonymous Athlete
“Unqualified men in coaching positions who have made complaints of sexual abuse, inappropriate conduct, and intimidation will continue to serve as coaches and be allowed to advance to higher positions of authority.”
– Anonymous Athlete
Care-first approach and culture change needed
Current reporting systems may vary by sport and organization.
Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) oversees issues such as anti-doping, match-fixing and child protection – Protecting young people in sports – And discrimination.
It has no specific powers over gender-based violence or protection issues affecting people over the age of 18, and can only investigate and issue sanctions against sports that have signed up to the National Integrity Framework.
Director of Conservation Lisa Purves said SIA could still help, albeit with limitations.
“While we are not directly involved in the investigation of some matters, we will ensure that we build the capacity of the sport and support the management of the sport in any way possible,” she said.
”We stand by sport and work with relevant authorities to ensure the right support is provided. First and foremost, it’s for the athletes, but also to help the sport run well.”
Sport Integrity Australia works with sport to address a range of integrity issues. (Getty Images)
La Trobe’s research identified several areas where reporting often fails, including policies that prioritize protecting organizations over supporting victims, reporting pathways that follow legal frameworks, and responders who lack training and support.
Dr. Forsdyke said solutions include organizations updating their policies and using trauma-informed approaches.
Her research team has also developed a publicly available ‘Safe to Speak, Bound to Act’ toolkit designed to help sports leaders respond to reports of gender-based violence.
“It’s a start: raising the question, understanding it, what is gender-based violence? What does it look like? And what can we do?” she said.
”One is policy. One is get[ting] These responses are correct and confirm that we care for those who have the courage and strength to disclose information in the first place.”
Purves said addressing gender-based violence is about creating a cultural change in sport, not just a reactive approach.
She gave the example of Box Hill North Football Club. Where members of the men’s team posted offensive photos.
“Attitudes have to change, even if it’s just small actions like accepting it, thinking it’s funny, or downplaying the fact that a woman was assaulted,” she says.
“So it’s not just, ‘Gender-based violence against women exists and we need to eradicate it.’
“The whole sporting culture needs to change in terms of how women are viewed in sport.
“I think there needs to be a bigger conversation around this, and the sports world needs to lead the way before we get headlong into the enforcement and investigation aspects.”
Rennie agreed, adding that having more women in leadership positions would also help.
“It needs to be a place where everyone feels respected, feels like they can trust the people they report to, and feels like they will be supported if they move forward with an issue, make a complaint or ask a question,” she says.
“As more women feel empowered and feel like they can speak up and take action, it will become the norm.”