Last updated: 3/15/2024*

Program Overview
USA Track & Field has been committed to creating a culture that clearly advocates, and provides for, a safe environment in which our athletes compete and train. We believe this is paramount to the success of all our programs.

For the safety of our athletes, particularly our youth athletes, as well as all our member participants, USATF adopted the USATF Safe Sport Program back in 2014. Safe Sport at USATF aims to prevent sexual misconduct and abuse, bullying, hazing, harassment, physical abuse, and emotional abuse in the sports of LDR, race walking, and track and field. Our goal is to create a clear culture of awareness to protect the participants in our sports at all levels.

USATF’s Safe Sport Program includes elements of governance, advocacy, education and communication, and compliance and monitoring. Additionally, an important aspect of USATF’s Safe Sport Program is the requirement that certain individuals within USATF be USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant. USATF currently requires members of the following groups to be USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant including, but not limited to: USATF National Office Staff, USATF Board of Directors, USATF registered coaches, club coaches, USATF certified officials, authorized athlete representatives, club leadership (i.e. club presidents, administrators, secretaries, coaches, etc., Association Safe Sport Volunteer Coordinators, and anyone with a role assigned to them on USATF Connect), National Team staff and other selected personnel, National Team Athletes, National Committee Chairs, Association leadership, Youth Executive Committee members, AAC Executive Committee members, AAC Event Leaders, contractors/vendors with access to athletes, and any other adult who has Authority and/or Regular Contact over athletes.

How to become USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant as part of the USATF Safe Sport Program:

1. Obtain a USATF membership.
2. Successfully complete the applicable annual USATF background screen with NCSI (which includes acknowledgement of the USATF Safe Sport Handbook and an agreement to abide by the respective code of conduct).**
3. Successfully complete Safe Sport training (either the Core course or appropriate Refresher course) available on USATF Connect before having contact with athletes, and in any event, within forty-five (45) days of assuming such position within USATF.***

Once these steps have been completed, all USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant members will be listed on USATF’s Safe Sport Compliant List.
*This information is pulled from the National USATF Website. Please visit the page for the most up-to-date information and resources.

**Please note: the USATF background screen does not apply to individuals younger than 18 years of age.

***Note: Safe Sport training is an annual requirement, meaning it should be completed once every 365 days.

Additional requirements for Pennsylvania Residents:
Pennsylvania Act 153

Applicants who work with youth and reside or work in Pennsylvania, as determined during their background screen, will be directed to upload the required documents, per the Pennsylvania Act 153, using the Pennsylvania Document Repository Services (PA DRS) through NCSI. The applicant will be required to pay the associated fee for this service. NCSI will maintain these records until their expiration. Completed background screen results will be reported to USATF as soon as applicants have completed the PA DRS requirements, if applicable.