Dear members,
The health and safety of our athletes is, and must always be, our top priority. While USA Water Polo works to grow our sport and enhance the competitiveness of our national teams, it takes all of us to ensure that our athletes thrive in an environment and culture that promotes their greatest potential and optimal performance. That means that, if you see or suspect something that threatens our athletes’ well-being, you need to report it to us at report@usawaterpolo.org, or to the U.S. Center for SafeSport by visiting https://uscenterforsafesport.org/.
As the sport’s governing body in the United States, USA Water Polo governs the rules of water polo, covering the play, procedures, equipment, and officiating of water polo. We cannot, however, be everywhere at all times. We need YOU to be our eyes and ears on the ground and part of our team to promote athlete safety.
In the spirit of teamwork, we are providing detailed information regarding our relevant policies, rules, and procedures on this page. We want to hear from you if there are any questions, concerns or ideas. We thank you for sharing in our passion for water polo.
Sincerely,
Jamie Davis
CEO, USA Water Polo
We Abide by the SafeSport Code
The U.S. Center for SafeSport ("the Center"), is focused on preventing misconduct in sport, including but not limited to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. The Center, initially chartered by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), is an independent organization with a nine-member board of directors, including subject matter experts in abuse prevention, child abuse and sexual assault investigation, ethics compliance and sport administration. USA Water Polo is proud to have voted for its creation and supports the Center through annual financial contributions. USA Water Polo has incorporated the Center’s Code of Conduct into USA Water Polo’s Rules of Conduct, including the provisions that provide anonymous methods for reporting abuse of any type.
The Center has exclusive authority under federal law to investigate and resolve allegations of sexual abuse and related misconduct in the Olympic movement. It collaborates with sport organizations to foster a culture of safety by raising awareness, developing best practices, and providing education and training to promote respect and prevent abuse.
As a member of the USOPC, USA Water Polo supports the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s efforts in seeking to create a healthy, supportive environment for all participants through education, resources, and training. USA Water Polo is wholly committed to sustaining an environment where athletes can focus on their performance to compete safely, and we are proud to have achieved this with a 100 percent compliance rating by the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s auditors.
Our Community and Shared Track Record
- Tens of thousands of active members
- 11 zones
- Hundreds of clubs
- 3,227 sanctioned events since 2010
We have a large and proud community that works diligently to ensure the health and safety of our athletes. Training to identify and report sexual abuse, such as that offered by the SafeSport Center, and prompt reporting of any suspicion that sexual abuse may be occurring can help to prevent abuse before it happens or to prevent further abuse. We need to work together to prevent abuse. If you, or a member that you know, has experienced abuse within water polo, please notify the Center directly by clicking here or file a grievance with USA Water Polo by clicking here.
More information on filing grievances and criminal reports can be found here.
Grievance Procedure
It is helpful to not only understand how to file a grievance, but also the procedures that USA Water Polo follows once it receives a grievance.
If a grievance is filed with USA Water Polo, it is forwarded to USA Water Polo’s CEO to determine if the grievance is potentially within the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s jurisdiction. If so, the grievance is forwarded to the Center so that the Center can determine whether it wishes to exercise jurisdiction over the grievance.
If the grievance is forwarded to the Center, the filer will receive an e-mail informing the filer whether the grievance will be handled by USA Water Polo or the SafeSport Center.
If the Center determines to exercise jurisdiction, the Center will handle the grievance in accordance with its procedures. If the Center does not exercise jurisdiction, USA Water Polo will handle the grievance in accordance with its procedures.
If USA Water Polo handles the grievance, USA Water Polo’s CEO (or his designee) will appoint a hearing administrator and a three person hearing panel, at least one of whom must have been a member of a USA Water Polo Olympic, Pan American or World Championship team within the past 10 years.
The hearing administrator coordinates the hearing on the grievance with the parties and the hearing panel, and presides over the grievance hearing. Based upon the evidence provided at the hearing, the hearing panel determines if there has been a rule violation and, if so, the appropriate penalty in light of that violation.
The parties each have an opportunity to present evidence at the grievance hearing, to cross-examine witnesses during the grievance hearing, and to present argument to the hearing panel based upon the evidence produced at the hearing.
The parties each have the right to counsel during the hearing and to record the hearing. Parties rarely utilize counsel because the hearing is rather informal as the rules of evidence that would be applicable to a court proceeding do not apply.
Following the hearing, the hearing administrator will distribute the hearing panel’s decision to the parties.
If a party is dissatisfied with the results of the grievance hearing, the party has the right to seek review of the hearing panel’s decision by instituting an arbitration proceeding with the American Arbitration Association.
Resources & Quick Links
Please find additional resources below to familiarize yourself with our organization and our health and safety policies and procedures:
Questions?
We believe in transparency and are here to answer any questions that you may have. Please submit your questions here and we will answer them in a timely manner.
