There has been much talk about whether it is safe to have images taken of children participating in sports. While the great majority of images are appropriate and are taken in good faith, it is a fact that images can be misused and children can be put at risk if common sense procedures are not observed.
A parent or guardian has a right of refuse to have children photographed. The exercise of this right of refusal cannot be used as grounds for refusing entry into a swimming competition. Therefore any photo that may go to press or on a notice board, be it through a member of the club or official photographer, should only be posted if parental consent has been given. This includes meet videos and technical videos. If at any time a photo is posted that a parent wants removed, simply contact our office and we will immediately remove the photo. In the case of open meets and other competitions where the host club has an official photographer present, all parents attending should be made aware of this in your meet information. If photos are to be published anywhere, the individual parent should be given the opportunity to withhold their consent. Their right to do so should be specifically drawn to their attention.
All photographs must observe generally accepted standards of decency in particular:
Action shots should be a celebration of the sporting activity and not a sexualized image in a sporting context.
Action shots should not be taken or retained where the photograph reveals a torn or displaced swim suit.
Photographs should not be taken from behind the diving boards or exhibit a child climbing out of the swimming pool.
Photographs should not be taken in locker-rooms or bathrooms.
Our team is an affiliate of USA Diving, Inc., the national governing body of springboard and platform diving in the United States. USA Diving is a successor to the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and is an independent non-profit corporation formed to promote and improve diving in the United States.
