U.S. national governing bodies may be asked to give more money to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, now desperate for money and staff to handle a workload that’s growing by 20 to 30 new reports a week post-Larry Nassar’s sentencing.
USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey said his organization has already agreed to “more than doubling” its annual commitment after he confirmed in congressional testimony that swimming was giving only $43,000 under the original NGB funding agreement for the center. The U.S. Olympic Committee doubled its annual commitment to $3.1 million, the majority of the center’s $4.3 million annual budget.
The center’s five full-time staff can each handle 18 cases at a time, and there are currently 295 open cases with an average resolution time of 63 days, spokeswoman Kira Wilson said. “While we’re working on bringing on an additional four to five investigators this year, we absolutely need more funding,” she added.
Mandated NGB funding could be another flashpoint for controversy. The governing bodies vary widely by annual revenue, how many youth members they have and whether they compete with other groups for members.
