ATHLETES, KIDS DESERVE PROTECTION FROM ABUSE
Sport organizations should not be judges of what is appropriate, writes Jennifer Heil.
The sport community is grateful for the government's initiative over the past three years to build safe sport solutions at the national level that protect the most vulnerable — our young athletes.
However, action needs to be taken to ensure solutions fully protect victims who come forward to report abuse and harassment in a fair, transparent and accountable manner for all. Without committed leadership and investment, policies may change, but full protection will not result. I know just how important the details are, having spent two years designing and leading the development of the B.C. Safe Sport Program.
Because safety in sport is everyone's issue.
That is why we, 13 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, have sent a letter to the Steven Guilbeault, minister of Canadian Heritage. The letter highlights fundamental gaps in the proposed national safe sport system and requests that the Government of Canada act to implement four core minimum standards in order to address these gaps.
These minimum standards include a centralized adjudication process that is fully independent from national sport organizations; victim-centric process safeguards and funding; a centralized sanctions database; and a single code of conduct with consistent language and definitions with supporting educational resources.
In too many cases, the athletes who courageously come forward to report abuse and harassment are silenced or experience further trauma. This happens because the resolution process is managed by the sport organization that employs the person the athlete is making the claim against.
In addition to a mandatory process that is centralized and fully independent from sport organizations, there needs to be sufficient victim-centric safeguards and funding to access legal services. An amateur athlete's ability to file an abuse complaint should not turn on their financial ability to hire a lawyer. Finally, this same independent and centralized process needs to ensure outcomes are public and sanctions upheld. Anything less perpetuates the status quo, leaving more young people to suffer needlessly.
Our sport system needs to stop normalizing abusive and harmful behaviours, and stop hiding behind ineffective processes. It is a system that accepts abuse under the facade of performance, compounded by the significant power imbalance that exists between athletes and coaches as well as athletes and their sport organizations.
Many of us have learned to normalize this psychological, physical and sexual abuse, and harassment as part of the culture of sport.
Through extensive consultations with stakeholders in the B.C. sport community while developing the B.C. Safe Sport Program, it became apparent that most athletes do not understand their right to train and compete in psychologically and physically safe environments, free from abuse.
Athletes continue to struggle to identify abusive behaviours within their own environments in real time. That is why we believe one code, with consistent language for all sport stakeholders is essential, something the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport intended but will not achieve in practice if sports customize with their own language and sport-specific differences.
While we recognize that sport-specific differences may exist with respect to certain necessary interactions during training or competition, sport organizations should not be judges of what is appropriate behaviour or what is not. These determinations should be entrusted to trained professionals such as investigators or adjudicators.
Everyone in the sport system requires and deserves the right to train and compete in psychologically and physically safe environments, free from abuse and harassment. It is essential that Canada join other leading sporting nations in the effort to shift the power imbalance to protect the health and well-being of all. Participating in sport in Canada need not come at the cost of experiencing abuse and trauma or being a part of a culture that allows it to happen.
Some athletes win medals even when experiencing these horrific circumstances, therefore perpetuating the current culture. We ask Canadians and all sport stakeholders whether that moment of glory is worth a lifetime of trauma. How can we conscientiously move forward as a people when this remains a reality for athletes in the Canadian sport system? Athlete abuse and trauma ripples through the community as family, friends and teammates feel the effects. This goes beyond a single victim.
These issues need to be addressed today. Now.
We encourage all sport participants to understand their rights and to join the safe sport movement — the goal being a Canadian
Our sport system needs to stop normalizing abusive and harmful behaviours.
sport system that upholds the values of safe, inclusive, ethical and respectful environments at every level.
Minister Guilbeault, you have the historic opportunity to protect vulnerable young athletes within the Canadian sport system. One more news headline exposing further horrific athlete abuse is one too many.
Jennifer Heil is an Olympic champion. Her recommendations are supported by Olympic champions Tessa Virtue, Alex Bilodeau, Patrick Chan, Derek Drouin, Beckie Scott and Mark Tewksbury, world champion and Olympian Perdita Felicien, Olympian Allison Forsyth, Olympic medallists Brent Hayden and Helen Upperton, Paralympic medallist Jessica Tuomela and Paralympic champion Lauren Woolstencroft.