Bradley Wiggins supports new NSPCC safety initiative for children - "We must make sport safe for children"

In an effort to better protect children from abuse in sport, Former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has lobbied for NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) safety initiatives, saying it should be easier for athletes to recognize issues.

Wiggins is a victim of child abuse himself, so he knows well what is at stake here and what should be done to prevent any future victims. "I was groomed by a coach when I was younger – I was about 13 – and I never fully accepted that... It all impacted me as an adult… I buried it," Wiggins explained.

More and more cases of child abuse are coming from the sports world, and Wiggins is worried the numbers are not going to slow down. He says, "We must make sport safe for children and make it easier for parents — and all people in sport — to recognise and understand how they themselves can support a safer sports environment.”

"It takes a lot of courage to speak out about sexual abuse, and Sir Bradley Wiggins has shown real bravery in revealing how he was groomed as a young cyclist by his coach who should have been protecting him," Michelle North from the NSPCC said. In a survey of 1,000 parents. It was found that 15% did not feel confident they could identify signs that their child was being abused at their club.