Table 7

Harassment: classifications, constituents and examples in sport

Non-relational maltreatmentClassificationsConstituentsExamples in sport
HarassmentPhysical harassment
  • Pushing, shoving or purposely bumping into a person

  • An athlete is repeatedly pushed, shoved or intentionally bumped

  • Threatening or intimidating actions

  • Blocking an athlete’s path to a competition facility with intent to intimidate or threaten

Sexual harassment
  • Vulgar or lewd comments

  • Vulgar or lewd sexual comments in the sport environment

  • Forcing an individual to wear unnecessary sexually revealing attire

  • Forcing an athlete to wear unnecessary sexually revealing uniforms (eg, forcing an athlete to unnecessarily train in a sports bra and spandex)

  • Inappropriate/unwanted physical touching or fondling

  • Inappropriate/unwanted physical touching or fondling in sport (eg, team-mates slapping one another on the buttocks)

  • Repeated suggestions/propositions to engage in sexual conduct

  • Repeated suggestions/propositions of an athlete to engage in sexual conduct

  • Quid pro quo

  • When submitting to or rejecting sexual advances, becomes a condition upon which an athlete’s position depends (eg, an athlete is not allowed to compete or engage in team activities unless they engage in a particular sexual activity)

Emotional harassment
  • Put-down jokes about an individual

  • Repeatedly making put-down jokes about an athlete

  • Telling embarrassing/upsetting stories about an individual

  • Telling embarrassing/upsetting stories about an athlete

  • Unwelcome, offensive or hostile facial expressions or body gestures

  • Unwelcome, offensive or hostile repeated facial expressions or body gestures made to an athlete

  • Written or graphically derogatory material about protected characteristics

  • Written or graphically derogatory material about protected characteristics of an athlete

Gender harassment
  • Referring to someone’s gender in negative, vulgar or derogatory terms

  • Referring to an athlete’s gender in negative, vulgar or derogatory terms

  • Exclusion of an individual based on gender

  • Exclusion of an athlete (eg, from postcompetition celebrations) based on gender

Racial harassment
  • Referring to someone’s race in negative, vulgar or derogatory terms

  • Referring to an athlete’s race in negative, vulgar or derogatory terms

  • Exclusion of an individual based on race

  • Exclusion of an athlete (eg, from team selection) based on race

Homophobia
  • Referring to someone’s sexuality in negative, vulgar or derogatory terms

  • Referring to an athlete’s sexuality in negative, vulgar or derogatory terms

  • Exclusion of an individual based on sexual orientation

  • Exclusion of an athlete from an activity based on their sexual orientation (eg, not allowing an athlete to shower at the same time as their teammates)

  • In order for the described behaviours to be defined as non-relational maltreatment, they must occur outside a critical relationship.