Changes to Athlete Protection Training for Non-Athlete Members

Changes to Athlete Protection Training

Regular and frequent training reminds us about the impact that we have on our athletes and the kids in our sport. No matter your role in the organization, your work and connection with our athletes is incredibly important, and we are all responsible for ensuring their experience is safe, positive and free of abuse.

You will notice some changes this year to the USA Swimming required Athlete Protection Training (APT). The U.S. Center for SafeSport (“the Center”) is the separate, independent, organization that responds to reports of abuse in the Olympic and Paralympic movements. In addition to that responsibility, the Center also sets policies for national governing bodies (NGBs) such as USA Swimming to follow and provides educational tools and resources. As a policy, the Center is requiring every USA Swimming member or individual with authority over, or frequent contact with, athletes to annually compete its “Core Center for SafeSport Training” educational resource or its refresher course. Starting February 4, 2019, the Core training will be live on the USA Swimming LEARN platform.

This will be a change from how APT was completed in previous years both in substance and in the annual requirements. First, while each member’s current APT training expiration date will be honored, members will no longer have a two-year USA Swimming APT certification. In the first year following expiration or upon new registration, only the Center’s Core training course will be required to obtain APT certification. Thereafter, every year, every non-athlete member will be required to complete the Center’s refresher course and also to take a USA Swimming elective APT course in order to obtain the required number of points for APT certification.

If you have any questions regarding this change, please contact learn@usaswimming.org.

Thank you for your continued commitment to Safe Sport.