Sport is meant to be a space of confidence, connection, and growth. Yet for many athletes across Europe, it is also a space where sexual violence goes unrecognized, unspoken, and unaddressed. The Center of Excellence in Food, Tourism & Leisure (CoEFTL) of The American College of Greece Research Center (ACG-RC), is proud to support “Sports Against Sexual Violence” — a campaign for athletes, by athletes launched as part of the RISE (RISE Empowered Above Sexual Violence in Sports) project.
RISE is an Erasmus+ project coordinated by the Social Policy and Action Organization of Cyprus, in partnership with organizations from Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, and Greece. On the Greek side, the ACG-RC takes part through the CoEFTL, led by Executive Director Professor Athanasios Krystallis, with Dr. Tatiana Chalkidou, Department Head of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports, serving as scientific lead alongside Dr. Ritsa Ventouratou, Dr. Chrisanthi Nega, Dr. Stella Leivadi, and Ioanna Mitropoulou.
This article brings together the campaign’s three video releases and the key findings of the RISE project’s comprehensive research report on the prevalence of sexual violence in sport, so that athletes, coaches, parents, and sports organizations across Greece and Europe can understand why this campaign matters and what they can do about it.
Why sexual violence in sport needs a dedicated campaign
Sexual violence in sport is often described as a safeguarding issue, but the RISE research shows it is just as much a cultural one. Harmful behavior in sporting environments is frequently normalized, dismissed as “banter”, or simply not recognized as violence by the people experiencing or witnessing it. Athletes may stay silent out of shame, fear of retaliation, or doubt that speaking up will change anything.
The RISE campaign does not ask survivors to carry the weight of change alone. Instead, it aims to help everyone in the sporting community, be it athletes, peers, coaches, parents, staff, or administrators, recognize harmful conduct, treat respect and consent as non-negotiable values, and build the listening and support structures that make a real difference. As the RISE research puts it: everyone in sport has the right to be heard, respected, and protected, and everyone has a role in creating that culture.
What the research tells us
RISE’s comprehensive report () on the prevalence of sexual violence in sport combined desk research across six countries, expert focus groups with psychologists, legal advisers, and sports-integrity professionals, and an online survey of 462 athletes across Greece, Italy, Austria, Spain, Bulgaria, and Cyprus. It is important to note that this survey reflects the experiences of the athletes who took part in the six RISE partner countries rather than a representative picture of all European athletes, and country samples varied in size, from 34 respondents in Cyprus to 111 in Greece. With that context in mind, several findings stand out.
Harmful conduct goes well beyond physical contact. Among the athletes surveyed, 69.3% reported experiencing some form of non-contact sexual violence at least once. These were most commonly sexual comments, jokes, or gestures (54.1%), unwanted sexual behavior that caused discomfort (45.2%), and unwanted sexual conversations (39%). A further 16% reported experiencing contact sexual violence, and among them, 41% said it had happened two to five times, a sign that these experiences are often repeated rather than isolated incidents.
Silence is common, and it is not a personal failing. Only 14.3% of athletes who experienced contact sexual violence disclosed it to anyone; the remaining 85.7% neither disclosed nor sought support. Of those who did open up, most spoke to friends rather than to a professional or an organization. Experts across the six countries linked this silence to fear of retaliation, stigma, victim-blaming, and a lack of trust that formal systems will respond meaningfully. These reasons do not reflect a lack of courage among athletes but rather describe a systemic gap in support.
Peers and witnesses matter enormously. Almost three in four athletes surveyed (74.7%) said they were aware of at least one incident affecting a teammate, yet only 25.2% of the contact incidents known to witnesses were ever reported. Even when incidents were reported, outcomes varied widely: sports organizations opened an internal investigation in 36.1% of cases, but ignored or dismissed the allegation in 27.8% of cases. This is why the campaign treats bystanders as active allies whose role should be paired with, not a substitute for, institutional accountability.
Power and setting shape risk. Among athletes who reported contact sexual violence, 80.6% identified the perpetrator as male, with teammates (34.4%) and coaches (32.8%) most frequently named. Locker rooms (30.5%) and sports fields or courts (28.8%) were the most commonly reported locations, and incidents were often linked to club and recreational-sport settings, one-to-one coaching relationships, and unsupervised travel or accommodation.
No group is untouched. At least one form of sexual violence was reported by 79.5% of female respondents and 61.4% of male respondents, and among those who reported contact sexual violence, 59.7% had experienced it before the age of 18, with 31.6% reporting an experience before age 13. These figures underline why the campaign speaks to young athletes, adult athletes, coaches, parents, and sports leaders alike, rather than assuming any one group is unaffected.
Greece in focus
Greece contributed the largest national sample to the RISE survey, with 111 athletes taking part. The Greek research and focus groups echoed the wider European findings around underreporting, stigma, and the normalization of harmful “banter” in training environments. Experts also pointed to the public disclosure by Olympic medalist Sofia Bekatorou as a turning point that opened national conversation around sexual violence in sport. This serves as a reminder that athlete voices can shift a country’s dialogue, even when institutional change still has further to go.
Three videos, three messages
As part of the campaign, RISE partners are sharing three videos that translate this research into practical, human guidance.
Video 1 – If you experience sexual violence in sport. This video walks through what an athlete can do if they experience sexual violence: writing down details such as time, place, and people involved; knowing that support is available through safeguarding officers, helplines, NGOs, and peer networks, including specialized support for people from underrepresented or marginalized groups; and understanding safe practices such as setting personal boundaries, requesting clear codes of conduct, and protecting one’s online presence. It also affirms an athlete’s basic rights: to train and compete free from abuse, to be treated with dignity and fairness, to speak up without fear of retaliation, and to say no to anything that feels unsafe or unwanted.
Video 2 – Becoming an active bystander. Sexual violence includes any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, be it verbal, non-contact, or physical, where consent is coerced, manipulated, or not possible. This video explains how to recognize when behavior is inappropriate, unprofessional, or crosses safeguarding standards, and names the common obstacles that hold people back from stepping in: distraction, unclear signals, assuming someone else will act, or fear of judgment. It offers three practical approaches (disrupting the moment safely, checking in privately with the affected person, and reporting the incident to the right authorities) with a simple reminder: even a small action can make a difference.
Video 3 – Change is already underway. The third video highlights ten ongoing campaigns and initiatives across Europe already working to prevent sexual violence in sport, from React Act Prevent Sexual Violence and the Council of Europe’s Start to Talk to UNESCO’s Fit for Life, Locker Room Talk, EWA – Empowering Women Athletes, and others. The message is one of collective momentum: change is not only possible, it is already happening, and every athlete’s voice adds to it.
Where to turn for support
Video 1 and Video 2 both close with helpline information, and we want to make sure this support is as visible and accessible as possible, particularly for athletes in Greece.
- European Helpline for Children and Adolescents: 116111
- Austria: Women’s Helpline Against Violence, 0800 222 555 (free, 24/7, multilingual); Rat auf Draht (Child and Youth Helpline), 147 (free, 24/7, anonymous)
- Bulgaria: National Helpline for Victims of Violence, 080018676
- Cyprus: 112 (direct risk) or 1440; Police, 1460; FONI / Hope for Children (for minors), 1466
- Greece: SOS Helpline – Violence Against Women, 15900 (24/7, General Secretariat for Gender Equality; email [email protected]); National Child Protection Helpline – The Smile of the Child, 1056 (24/7, for anyone under 18); National Center of Social Solidarity (EKKA), 197 (24/7 emergency social assistance); Hellenic Police, 100, or European emergency number, 112; Greek Ombudsman, +30 213 1306 600; Diotima Center, +30 210 3244 380
- Italy: Helpline Violence and Stalking, 1522
- Spain: Emergency Assistance, 112; Gender-based Violence Helpline, 016 (24/7, multilingual); ANAR Foundation (Minors Support), 900 202010 (24/7); LGBTQ+ Support Line, 028
How to get involved
“Sports Against Sexual Violence” is a campaign for athletes, by athletes, and it grows through participation. Athletes, clubs, and sports organizations across Europe are invited to create and share their own materials (videos, photos, drawings, symbolic gestures, or short messages) that reflect what respect, safety, and dignity in sport mean to them. Speak up against sexual violence in sports. Together, we rise. Together, we make sport safe.
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