Safeguarding and integrity – The role of reporting systems and inquiries for transformation in sport

Research and practice in the field of safeguarding have recently focused primarily on prevention, in the
sense of taking precautionary measures to avoid violence or harm, while reporting systems and post-in-
quiries are rarely examined. However, based on a holistic and circular concept, safeguarding can only be
successful if reporting systems, intervention and inquiries are also integrated in order to derive knowl-
edge for the future prevention of harm.
This invited symposium focuses on processes of reporting, case management and post-incident inquiries
of maltreatment and abuse in sport in order to examine the critical momentum that emanates from them
for the future development and change of sports organisations.
Swiss Sport Integrity, represented by Jonas Personeni, will offer a practice-oriented perspective on the
Swiss reporting system and the case management related to maltreatment and abuse in sport. It exam-
ines how reports are submitted and processed, outlining the procedural steps that follow an initial report,
from preliminary assessment to further investigations and case handling. Attention is given to the role of
case managers, who coordinate communication, and guide cases through the procedural framework. It
will also discuss key practical challenges, including confidentiality, evidentiary limitations, and managing
expectations among stakeholders. Finally, it reflects on emerging effects of the reporting system, con-
sidering how these mechanisms are beginning to influence awareness, accountability, and the broader
handling of ethical violations within Swiss sport.
Bettina Rulofs from the German Sport University will examine the relevance of systematic inquiries as part
of a holistic approach to safeguarding. Based on the concept of transitional justice, it is demonstrated
that the importance of systematic inquiries for the development of a critical momentum is to be highly
valued if sport organisations want to seize the chance to transform. Inquiries uncover voice-inhibiting and
abuse-permissive structures in sports organisations and, in this way, help to initiate transformations in the
sports system. For victims of abuse, inquiries play an important role in helping them to realise their right to
receive the truth, as well as initiating a process of reconciliation. Examples from inquiries in German sport
are used to illustrate their methodology, potentials and obstacles.