Study: One in three young people involved in sport has been bullied or discriminated against
Young people belonging to minorities were most likely to experience bullying and discrimination.
A new study from the Finnish Youth Research Society suggests that as many as 31 percent of young people engaged in sporting activities experience discrimination or bullying.
Team sports were worse for poor treatment than individual disciplines, and bullying was observed despite the presence of adult coaches.
“Many people thought these habits were normal and only understood later that it could have been bullying,” said Mikko Salasuo of the society.
Bad experiences were more likely to be reported by respondents aged over 15 than younger children. Boys experienced more bullying than girls, and more than half of all ethnic and gender minorities interviewed for the study suggested they had experienced questionable treatment.
The majority of those who experienced inappropriate treatment said it was their contemporaries who were responsible, rather than adults.
Some six percent of all respondents said they had experienced physical violence, and five percent reported sexual harassment. The majority of those reporting sexual harassment were aged over 15.
The survey asked 1,260 young people aged between 10 and 29 about their experiences.