Prevalence of interpersonal violence against athletes in the sport context

Abstract

Despite progress in recent years on understanding the magnitude of the problem of interpersonal violence against athletes in the sport context, this research area is still very understudied. Yet, many researchers have advocated for the urgent need to carry out prevalence studies in this field to base prevention efforts on empirical evidence and to convince public decision makers about the necessity to address this issue. The present paper widens the focus on violence in sport, beyond the traditional player and spectator violence literature. We present recent prevalence data on less studied issues, such as sexual, physical and psychological violence against athletes, in and outside the field, and from coaches, opponents and teammates.