AOC President John Coates Calls For Olympic Child Protection Push

Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates said that child abuse "needs to be elevated to the same status as the anti-doping code within the Olympic charter," according to the AAP. And Australian sporting bodies who nominate athletes for the Olympic team "may have their nominations rejected unless they can show they have child protection strategies in place." Coates and AOC CEO Fiona de Jong "gave evidence on Thursday at a commission hearing which is exploring child protection policies and strategies within sporting institutions." Coates, also VP of the IOC, said because of issues raised at the royal commission over the past few years he "was now steering the IOC to recognise the issue of harassment and child abuse in its ethical behaviours by-laws." An amended code of ethics which covers the prevention and reporting of bullying and sexual harassment of young athletes "will be trialled at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August" (AAP, 4/7).