This article is written by Parth Sharma from Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Jhanjeri, Mohali, an intern under Legal Vidhya.
ABSTRACT
In this article, we discuss harassment in Sports and the legal protection against it. In today’s world, harassment in sports has significantly increased. Many coaches pressure athletes to perform better in games, often resorting to harassment to achieve this. They especially harass the women athletes and make bad comments about their bodies. This situation is not good for athletes, or we can say it can lead to a bad impact on their health. Many athletes felt depressed because of this harassment, and their performance significantly decreased. So, we need to take strict action against the persons who promote this harassment and try to deliver justice to the victims of this harassment in sports. In this research, we talk about the types of harassment, especially in sports, about the legal mandates in sports, challenges, and recommendations, and relevant case studies related to the topic of legal protection against harassment in sports. So, this is a fully dedicated article on harassment in sports and the role of coaches to protect the athletes, making sure that the athletes feel comfortable with them. So, by this, we can eliminate the harassment in sports.
KEYWORDS
Harassment in Sports, Legal Framework, Challenges, Body Shaming, Sexual Harassment, Sports Law, Types of Harassment, Relevant Recommendations
INTRODUCTION
Sports are a very essential part of our lives. Sports teach us so many things in our lives. We can learn the principles of teamwork, discipline, Sportsmanship, how to deal with failures, how to calm yourself in a pressure situation, seeking for perfect opportunity, and a never-give-up attitude. But in today’s world, sports harassment in sports has significantly increased due to the expectations to win. Many coaches harass the players, especially the female players, if they do not win the game or perform not up to expectations of the coaches. There are many types of abuse done by the coaches to the female players, but mainly it was sexual abuse done by the coaches to the female players[1]. Firstly, they develop friendly feelings for the female athletes, then try to dictate to them and pressurize them to perform better in their games if they are not up to their expectations, then they try to sexually abuse them about their body, about their performance. By this, there is a feeling of fear developed in female athletes, and due to their fear, their performance will decline, and they again become the victims of sexual abuse. This leads to depression in the athletes, which is not good for their health. But no one raised a single voice against this. If anyone raises a voice against the coaches or the people who are abusing them, then they get the relief, but if they do not stand for themselves, then the confidence of these kinds of people will increase, which results in a rapid increase in these kinds of cases, which is not good for sports industry especially for women. So, we need to stand up for these kinds of abuses because the right to dignity is our fundamental right, which comes under Article 21[2] of the Indian Constitution, which tells us about the Right to Life and Personal Liberty. So, it is our responsibility to spread awareness among the people about their fundamental rights and tell people to stand up for themselves. So, sports are very crucial for us, and we make sure to keep them clean.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF HARASSMENT IN SPORTS
According to the report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) as of 2021, the crime rate among Women has rapidly risen from 56.5% to 64.5%[3]. We know sports play a major role in the holistic growth of an individual, making him or her a better person. Now we will discuss some of the important case laws for understanding the background of the topic of harassment in sports:-
CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN SPORTS[4]
Sexual Harassment of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team in 2010 by the Chief Coach. The Chief Coach of the Indian Women’s hockey team was found guilty of harassment in sports before the Hockey India elections. This situation was put into the eyes of the public when a female hockey player, Ranjitha Devi, sent an email to Hockey India about her experience of harassment. This incident raises the question of the safety of Indian Women in this type of national sport. A national gymnast was the victim of sexual harassment by the coach during the Asian Games, 2014
In 2014, during the Asian Games 2014, the coach Manoj Rana and the Gymnast Chandan Rana sexually harassed the female gymnast.
There was a girl who was 29 years old who complained to the police that her coach and Gymnast sexually harassed her.
So, these were some of the cases that helped us to understand the need for protection against harassment in the sports industry.
Now, we are trying to learn about different types of Harassment:-
Sexual Harassment, Racial Harassment, Verbal Harassment, Physical Harassment, Workplace Harassment
So, these are five different types of harassment. Let’s discuss all of them in detail:-
Sexual Harassment:- Sexual Harassment is a type of harassment under which females are especially vulnerable to becoming the victims of this harassment. In this type of harassment, especially males trying to pressure women, and trying to take advantage of women by way of sexual abuse. This type of harassment is nowadays common in workplaces where bosses exploit their female employees.
Racial Harassment:- It is a type of harassment when someone harasses you based on your skin color, your caste, or your cultural background. When you become the victim of harassment because of these features, someone takes your dignity based on your caste or cultural background. This is particularly known as Racial harassment. Examples: Someone uses derogatory comments about someone’s race.
Verbal Harassment:- Verbal Harassment is a type of harassment under which someone passes racial comments on you that are not up to the mark. When someone uses offensive statements against you. This is known as Verbal Harassment.
Physical Harassment:-Physical Harassment is a type of harassment under which someone uses force against you or assaults you, or has physical contact with you that can cause you harm. This is particularly known as Physical Harassment.
Workplace Harassment:- This type of harassment is increasing nowadays, as bosses are trying to exploit female employees. Some bosses are trying to give bonuses to female employees at the cost of establishing a relationship with them. By this, bosses are trying to intimidate the female employees. There is also an important case law of the Vishaka Guidelines, which is particularly on the topic of Workplace harassment. Let’s discuss the facts of the case law:
Case Law: Vishaka and Ors. V. State of Rajasthan and Ors. (1997) 6 SCC 241, AIR1997 SC3011[5]
Facts:- There was a social worker, Bhanwari Devi, who worked for the Women’s Development Project, trying to prevent child marriage. She received criticism from the village people, and five men attacked her and raped her in front of her husband.
Several groups fought for the rights of women, including Vishaka, Women’s Rights Forum filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) under Article 32 of the Constitution of India for demanding for enforcement of fundamental rights of Indian women under Article 14, 15, 19 (1) (G), and Article 21 in the Indian Constitution.
Issues in front of the Court:-
Is Sexual Harassment in the workplace a violation of fundamental rights?
Is there any solution present in India for the safety of women?
Judgement:
The court said that sexual harassment of women in the workplace is a violation of various Articles:
Article 14: Right to Equality
Article 15: Right against Discrimination
Article 19 (1) (G): Freedom to Trade and Profession
Article 21: Right to Life and Personal Liberty
The court accepted that at that time, there was no present law applicable in India to protect women from harassment in the workplace. After that, the government introduced the Vishaka Guidelines to protect women from harassment in sports.
The Supreme Court said that these guidelines will be binding at the workplace until suitable legislation comes into force, and in 2013, the POSH Act came into existence.
CHALLENGES IN HARASSMENT IN SPORTS
Lack of Awareness: Many coaches do not have the awareness of their limits. Sometimes, they go beyond their limit and harass the athletes to win the matches. Many Athletes didn’t raise their voice against this bad behaviour by the athletes against them. This makes the coaches more vulnerable and makes them try to suppress the athletes.
Afraid of Retaliation:- Many athletes are afraid of their coaches, and they thought that if they complained about their coaches, there would be a feeling of retaliation developed in their coaches against them, and they thought they would be unable to get a chance in sports, and their career would be finished.
Exploitation to get a chance:- Many coaches and selectors exploit, especially female athletes. They sexually harass the female Athletes and then give chances to them chances in their team. This type of torture mentally breaks the athletes, and they thought that they were good for nothing.
For the sake of Money:- Many female athletes were compelled by their coaches that if they don’t do what they said, or their careers would be finished. So, athletes were compelled to do those things, which was said by their coaches, and then the coaches sexually harassed the athletes.
Racial and Gender Harassment:- Many athletes don’t get a chance on the team because of their skin color, their religion, and their cultural background. Many athletes don’t get a chance on the team because of their gender, and coaches try to sexually harass female athletes. Many athletes from the LGBTQ community don’t get a chance on the team because they belong to that community.
So, these are some prima facie challenges faced by the athletes, and they become the victims of sexual harassment.
Now we move some of the recommendations given by us to prevent sexual harassment:-
RECOMMENDATIONS
Need for Awareness:- There must be a training session for the athletes as well as for the coaches in which they are taught about the basic things about harassment in sports, and trying to change their minds, and trying to teach the athletes what can be done if they face this kind of situation.
Make Strict Laws and Regulations:-
The government should try to make new laws and regulations to prevent harassment in sports. The government should also try to make an organization that ensures that these kinds of harassment practices are penalized and tries to prevent them.
Proper Monitoring:-
There should be proper monitoring to ensure that all the coaches effectively obey the laws and regulations. If any report shows that there is a violation of the laws, a proper penalty should be imposed against the coaches.
So, these are some of the recommendations given by me for the prevention of harassment in sports.
CONCLUSION
Harassment in sports is a very crucial topic in sports. Harassment in sports is not a new concept. It comes from a long time ago. Coaches are trying to suppress the athletes for the sake of the team, giving them in the team. Especially, the female athletes are exploited more than the male employees. Many female employees are sexually harassed by the male coaches and are pressurize to do all the things said by their coach says. Many female athletes can’t take this and go into depression, and some also commit suicide, as coaches almost exploit their careers. So, there are many challenges to overcome this situation, which are: Lack of Awareness, Afraid of Retaliation, Exploitation to get a chance, For the Sake of Money, Racial and Gender Harassment
There are several recommendations given by me to prevent this harassment: Need for Awareness, Make Strict Laws and Actions, Proper Monitoring
So, these are some prima facie recommendations given by me to prevent harassment in sports.
So, at the end of this research paper, I must say the government must make some strict laws to prevent harassment in sports, and at the same time, athletes must be aware of the relief available to them to prevent this situation.
So, we discuss all about the harassment in sports in this research article; at the same time, we give recommendations to prevent this Harassment in sports.
REFERENCES
- International Olympic Committee. [Online]
Available at: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/safe-sport/sexual-harrassment-and-abuse
- Finology Blog. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.finology.in/Legal-news/sexual-harssment-in-sports
[1] INTERNATIONAL OLYMPICS COMMITTEE, https://www.olympics.com/ioc/safe-sport/sexual-harrassment-and-abuse (last visited July 13, 2025).
[2] INDIA CONST. art. 21.
[3] Devansh Dixit, 10 Times World was shocked by Sexual Harassment in Sports Industry, FINOLOGY BLOG (July 13, 2025, 10.29 PM), https://blog.finology.in/Legal-news/sexual-harssment-in-sports
[4] Supra note 3
[5] Vishaka V. State of Rajasthan, A.I.R. 1997 S.C. 3011, available at https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1031794/ (last visited July 14, 2025).
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