"it’s something that needs to be explored further."
A major sexual safety crisis is affecting women working in elite sport in the UK, according to new survey findings that expose widespread misconduct and institutional failures.
The report, Women’s Experiences of Sexual Misconduct Working in UK Elite Sport, found that 88% of respondents experienced at least one form of sexual misconduct in the past five years.
Five respondents, representing 2% of participants, said they had been raped in work-related contexts outside the main workplace.
The survey invited members of the Women’s Sport Collective to participate, receiving 260 responses.
Participants included administrators, coaches, current and former athletes, TV producers, lawyers and physiotherapists, highlighting the issue across multiple professional roles.
The findings show that 87% of respondents reported sexual harassment, while 40% reported at least one instance of sexual assault.
Sexual misconduct was categorised into harassment, assault and rape to clarify the scope and severity of reported experiences.
The report found that three of the six reported rapes, which included one individual who reported being raped twice, involved respondents who identified as having a disability.
Although the sample size limited deeper intersectional analysis, disabled participants reported higher abuse rates than any other minority group.
Lindsey Simpson, who carried out the survey, said:
“The responses from people living with a disability really jumped out and I felt it needed to be noted and it’s something that needs to be explored further.”
Simpson, who holds a BA in sport and recreation and an MSc in workplace health and wellbeing, added:
“Was I surprised by the findings? No, but there is something very powerful about seeing the numbers… We know people don’t tend to report.
“So this gives an idea of the size and shape of the issue and gets quite specific into what actual behaviours we are talking about.”
The survey also examined perceptions of perpetrators, with 93% of respondents who believed misconduct occurred saying the perpetrator was always, or mostly, male.
Simpson said: “There is a widespread understanding that men are disproportionately perpetrators of sexual violence – that’s well documented – but what I didn’t want was someone to be able to go: ‘You didn’t even ask who was doing it. How do you know it’s not women?’
“So I was asking to make sure that I’m not making an assumption that is untrue but also because it can be really hard if you are a woman who is experiencing sexual misconduct at the hands of another woman.
“You need to be believed and we need to evidence that is also a behaviour.”
Confidence in institutions tasked with safeguarding employees appeared limited, with only 38% expressing positive sentiment about governing bodies and 46% about employers.
Just 29% said they felt “absolutely” confident in their employers, while 26% said they had no opinion on organisational responses.
Simpson said the findings should validate women who have experienced sexual misconduct and reinforce that their concerns are widely shared.
She warned that criminal behaviour within workplaces carries serious legal, reputational and commercial risks if organisations fail to meet risk assessment and safeguarding obligations.
She also cautioned that ongoing misconduct may undermine efforts to attract and retain women in elite sport, weakening inclusivity, representation and organisational effectiveness.
Simpson said she hopes the report will push organisations to act and “drive positive change”.
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