Eighty Colorado athletes and coaches have been restricted or banned from participating in Olympic or Paralympic sports, according to the database of a national governing body that seeks to increase awareness of its disciplinary measures.
The Denver-based U.S. Center for SafeSport — formed in 2017 amidst shocking abuse allegations against U.S. women’s gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar — on Tuesday announced it will begin publicizing weekly additions to its disciplinary database, which tracks athletes and coaches subject to sanctions and restrictions.
“Knowledge is power and maintaining safe sport environments improves when information is as accessible as possible,” Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, the center’s CEO, said in a statement.
Athletes and coaches listed in SafeSport’s database are currently restricted or banned from participating in any Olympic or Paralympic sport, which includes elite competition all the way down to local, grassroots organizations and youth teams.
One of the new additions to the database this month: Thomas Walsh, a celebrated two-time Paralympian skier from Vail.
An investigation found Walsh, 31, engaged in sexual misconduct, physical misconduct and sexual harassment, according to SafeSport records. He has been suspended by SafeSport, placed on probation, issued a no-contact directive and must undergo education.
Walsh, who declined to comment Tuesday, can still appeal the decision.
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SafeSport does not detail specifics of its findings or when the offenses took place. The organization also does not say how long the suspensions or probationary periods will last.
Vail police records show Walsh was convicted last year of driving under the influence and sentenced to community service. He also received a summons for disorderly conduct. Vail police had no records related to sexual misconduct.
Walsh has been a star Colorado skier since he was a kid. His story has also served as an inspiration after he returned to skiing in high school following a battle with Stage 4 cancer, which resulted in the removal of parts of his pelvis and lung.
He met the legendary Mikaela Shiffrin in kindergarten, and the two became teammates on Ski Club Vail.
“He has that kind of zest for life that is very rare, very contagious, and cannot be stifled. Not even by cancer,” Shiffrin told the Associated Press in 2019. “Thomas was always a much better athlete than I was. He was literally good at everything. I mean, everything. Skiing, soccer, a triathlon, dancing, acting, singing, school — you name it. He did it all and he was always the best.”
Walsh was one of nine Colorado athletes or coaches to be added to SafeSport’s database this year.
Others included Sylvia Hoffman, of Colorado Springs, who won a bronze medal in bobsledding at the 2022 Olympics.
Investigators found Hoffman, 37, engaged in physical and emotional misconduct and abuse of process. She’s been suspended, put on probation, issued a no-contact directive and must undergo education. Hoffman could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Eighty Coloradans are currently on the SafeSport list, which is a point-in-time reflection of current discipline. That means some athletes can come off the list after serving their punishment. Others, though, have been banned for life.
The individuals in the database come from a wide array of Olympic and Paralympic sports, and include youth coaches affiliated with the USA Olympic and Paralympic organizations. Seventeen of the 80 were part of USA Hockey, the largest number of any sport. Wrestling (11), soccer (8), basketball (5) and gymnastics (4) rounded out the top five.
Some have been criminally charged, such as a Douglas County youth hockey coach arrested in June on suspicion of child sex abuse.
Congress codified SafeSport through the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017. It came in response to hundreds of sex abuse allegations against Nassar, which prompted congressional investigations, legislation and the formation of the new oversight body.
Since its inception, the organization has been criticized for being opaque and confusing, while taking too long to resolve cases. A 2023 survey produced by a congressionally appointed commission “paints a picture of a center in potential crisis.”
“The U.S. Center for SafeSport, while recognized by some, is not overwhelmingly seen as effective,” the analysis read.
Last year, the organization fired its CEO after revelations that the center had hired an investigator who would later be charged with rape.
Fitzgerald Mosley, in a June opinion piece for The Denver Post, touted the work the center had done in its nine years, including the database that now lists more than 2,600 individuals facing discipline. The organization received nearly 9,700 reports last year, a 20% increase over the previous year, she said.
“Athletes lit the torch for this movement,” she wrote. “Now it’s up to all of us to carry it forward. Championing safe and healthy sport environments is our shared responsibility.”
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