{"id":398443,"date":"2019-10-17T00:16:45","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T07:16:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=398443"},"modified":"2019-10-17T00:49:49","modified_gmt":"2019-10-17T07:49:49","slug":"nancy-hogshead-makar-receives-the-2019-play-the-game-award-for-safe-sport-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/nancy-hogshead-makar-receives-the-2019-play-the-game-award-for-safe-sport-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Nancy Hogshead-Makar Receives the 2019 Play the Game Award For Safe Sport Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nancy Hogshead-Makar Honoured for ‘tireless’ work in the protection and support of girls and women in sport<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Nancy Hogshead-Makar<\/strong>, the 1984 Olympic 100m freestyle champion, head of Champion Women<\/strong> and long-time advocate for safe sport, has been honoured with the biennial Play the Game Award<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On the closing day of the Play The Game conference on the doorstep of the former United States Olympic Committee (USOC), now USOPC (Paralymoic added to the title)<\/a>, and USA Swimming<\/strong> in Colorado Springs at a time of FBI inquiry<\/a> and fresh legal challenge over sexual abuse<\/a>, Hogshead-Makar was recognised for her advocacy and work in the protection and support of girls and women in sport.<\/p>\n

Play the Game organisers noted: “Over the past three decades, the winner of the 2019 Play the Game Award has been fighting to stop sexual abuse in sport.<\/p>\n

“Athlete power on the rise was the theme of the Play the Game 2019 conference, and the work of the winner of this year\u2019s Play the Game Award, Nancy Hogshead-Makar, has helped the rise of athlete power through the formation of Champion Women, her own advocacy organisation for women and girls in sports.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jens Sejer Andersen, International director of Play the Game<\/strong>, cited Hogshead-Makar’s “tireless advocacy” as he announced the award at the conference farewell party:<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight we will honour a woman whose efforts have helped create a climate in the American society in which the messages of the gymnast victims could now be heard, understood and acted upon.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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“… while running alone…” – Chronicle screenshot from the Champion Women video<\/p><\/div>\n

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Nancy Hogshead at Duke – Photo Courtesy: Champion Women<\/p><\/div>\n

As a young athlete in 1981, Hogshead-Makar became victim of rape when out running between two campuses at Duke University. The healing required after an attack that lasted two and a half hours lasts a lifetime.<\/p>\n

To add injury to injury, she then had to face newspaper headlines such as that to the right with descriptions such as “running alone”: somehow, it had been her fault, if only she had not run “alone” the man might not have raped her. Such focus and placing responsibility on the victim not the perpetrator would become fuel for Hogshead-Makar’s fearless advocacy. Here is what happened and what happened next – Nancy’s story – in her own words:<\/p>\n