Formed to combat Olympic sex abuse, SafeSport center is struggling 6 years after opening

By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer

DENVER (AP) — Six years into its mission to remedy the sex-abuse crisis in Olympic sports, the U.S. Center for SafeSport is struggling. The Associated Press examined five cases that exposed flaws at the overwhelmed agency that has been criticized by athletes, Olympic leaders and investigators with Washington connections. The Denver-based center has around 1,000 open cases, with some 150 new complaints coming in every week. Less than 15% of the more than 12,500 cases the center investigated from 2017 through 2022 ended with a formal resolution. Many other cases were closed because of administrative issues. The backlog, delays in resolving cases and confusion surrounding the reporting led one athlete to conclude the center is woefully under-equipped for its mission.