COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — With more than 100 coaches banned from USA Swimming by the US Center for SAFESPORT, the need for safe and easy reporting of abuse is clear. Many of the coaches banned from the sport are banned because they were accused of sexually abusing minors.
Colorado Springs-based USA Swimming is currently being sued by former athletes who claim they weren't protected.
"I think there's just been a lot more light shed on the issues in the athlete experience," said Abby Howard, USA Swimming's senior director of legal and membership affairs.
Howard won't comment on pending litigation, but she hoped their latest deal with RealResponse will make their 350,000 athletes from kids to Olympians, feel safer.
"For us, it's important that everybody knows if they send information to USA Swimming that we will do what we are required to do with the information that's given," said Howard.
Howard said USA Swimming has always allowed people to report abuse anonymously, but their previous technology didn't allow for anyone to ask questions back to the anonymous reporter.
RealResponse changes that.
"This way we will be able to hopefully act more nimbly on reports that we get, whereas previously if we didn't have enough information we might have to close a case or not be able to report it on further because we wouldn't have the information necessary to do so," said Howard.
She added all members of USA Swimming are able to use the new reporting tool on Sept. 1.
USA Gymnastics and USA Track and Field already use RealResponse. It's also the reporting tool used by the Denver Broncos.
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