The Abuse of Underage Athletes

Introduction. Millions of children are ill-treated every day at home, at school, on the streets, and in sports. While sport is believed to promote health and help children to develop important social skills, its importance is often overestimated. In sports culture, violence is often taken for granted. This is an integral part of the cruel treatment of children in sports. Further, the closed nature of sports can only partially explain why both foreign and domestic experts still pay so little attention to the abuse of young athletes. Theoretical Basis. Methods. This research has been based on general scientific methods (such as analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, and the system analysis method) and methods of legal science (including methods of comparative jurisprudence, methods of literal, systematic and historical interpretation of legal norms). The theoretical basis of the thesis was the scientific papers of Russian and foreign experts in the field of criminal law, criminology, sociology, psychology and sports law. Results. A study of data on child abuse in sports, including scientific papers, data and recommendations provided by international organisations, shows that a common understanding of the term has not yet been developed nor have the specifics of “child abuse in sports” been determined. Analysis of the currently available documents developed by international organisations, shows that most of the recommendations are superficial and vague. Certain types of illtreatment, such as sexual abuse by peer or exploitation of the labour of child athletes are not covered in detail. Discussion and Conclusion. Considering the results of the studies of laws and regulations conducted in several foreign countries by international organisations, the authors have concluded that regardless of whether cruel treatment of children is a sporting tradition, no cruelty towards them can be justified; violence and exploitation of children athletes need to be prevented.