Senior British MP Calls for Sports Ombuds

Damian Collins, Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the House of Commons, says that athletes urgently need an independent watchdog to protect them. The comments by the conservative MP came as UK Sport released new guidance for coaches and staff on how to treat athletes with more respect. 

Collins said that Britain’s elite athletes “have fewer rights than an Uber driver” and that the worrying number of bullying, sexism and racism cases are directly linked to the lack of employment rights for athletes. UK Sports Minister Tracey Crouch acknowledged that she was considering the Ombuds idea, as recommended by Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson in April 2017. (The Guardian.)

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