The updates to USA Hockey’s SafeSport Program arise from federal law, which created the authority and requirement for the Center for SafeSport to enact policies to protect minors from abuse in sport.

As the national governing body designated by the United States Olympic Committee for the sport of ice hockey, USA Hockey, including all of its participants, is subject to the jurisdiction of the Center for SafeSport. The Center for SafeSport is an independent non-profit organization committed to ending all forms of abuse in sport, through the development of training, oversight practices, policies and procedures and the establishment of mechanisms to report, investigate and resolve allegations of misconduct.

The policies adopted by the Center for SafeSport are known as the Minor Athlete Abuse Protection Policies (“MAAPP Policies”), and are required to be adopted by the national governing body of each sport. USA Hockey has incorporated the MAAPP Policies, as well as changes by the Center to its SafeSport Code, into the USA Hockey SafeSport Program Handbook, a copy of which you can find here.