Leach, who is here at the International School Sport Federation (ISF) U15 Gymnasiade 2023, is part of the safe sport educational seminars along with International Olympic Committee certified safeguarding officer Sophie Bordet.

Together, they have designed a workshop to educate young athletes on "what safe sport is".

The team also includes educators Kieran Dee and Oriana Crystal Charles, who have been helping to promote awareness about abuse in sport for the last 2 years.

As an advocate for child protection, Leach, who is a survivor herself, has claimed that organisations have "policies and procedures" in place but there is no proper communication.

"We have designed this workshop to educate on what safe sport is," Leach said.

"It is age-appropriate so they can have a clear understanding of what abuse in sport is.

"At the end of the day, nobody speaks to young kids about it, and they don’t know what it is.

"We have these policies and procedures. All organisations and research focus on them, but nobody communicates with these people.

"Organisations put themselves first before young people and athletes who are abused.

"If someone is unhappy or if someone is hurting them, they can ask for help. That’s the main message.

"It can be with someone from the sport, someone in school. It could be someone at home or anywhere else.

"The programme here is around real life and lived experiences about abuse in sport among young people.

"I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer and I understand what they go through, the training and the sacrifices they make to be successful.

"I was sexually, mentally, emotionally, and physically abused by the Irish Olympic swimming coach from the ages of 10 to 17 years of age.

"I know what it does to your life. It takes everything from you. I couldn’t event begin to explain. I have paid a very high price for the sport I love.

"The main reason I am here is I do not want any child or young person and elite athletes to end up with a life like mine."

Bordet, who is also part of the ISF Executive Board, sided with Leach and explained how education can help young athletes "identify and react to any offensive behaviour".

The seminar here has videos and interactive sessions to help students understand the different kinds of abuse they can be subjected to.

Sharing real-life experiences is also part of the module.

"Since I graduated from the IOC safeguarding programme, I have dedicated my work to design tailor-made workshops for children," Bordet said.

"The introduction of safe sport will provide incredible tools for the development of the children as global citizens and conscious human beings.

"I believe that children, if well educated, have the inner resources and the power to fully understand, identify and react to any offensive behaviour such as racism and sexism or any kind of violence and abuse.

"Our program helps to raise awareness and creates a safe space for children and adults to open up.

"Here they learn that they can say ‘no’, that they must ask for help and, more importantly, that they are not alone.

"Safe sport, more than a policy, will help and impact the sport worldwide: it's a game changer."

Leach emphasised the need to make sure students understand it is okay to ask for help.

According to her, once safeguarding policies are in place, "organisations don’t care anymore".

"When I was a little girl, nobody told me I could ask for help. Nobody told me that I could say no," Leach said.

"That’s what I want to convey. You can ask for help. If the first person they go to doesn’t help, please don’t stop. Go to a different person until you find help. They shouldn’t have to but sometimes people in sport doesn’t want to hear the truth.

"I have been standing up and speaking out for 16 years for everyone in sport to be safer than I was and I know what goes on.

"Once, an organisation has the policies in place, they don’t care anymore.

"If you are going to do the talk, you have to do the walk. All I am seeing in the world of sport is a lot of talk and no walk.

"With social media booming, it has made it easier for establishments to promote safe sport without doing much."