Boxing Canada director has accreditation pulled before women's worlds
More than 100 athletes have signed letter complaining of association's `toxic culture'
The International Boxing Association has “set aside” Boxing Canada high performance director Daniel Trepanier's accreditation for the women's world championships in Istanbul.
Secretary general István Kovács said in a letter to Boxing Canada president Ryan Savage on Friday the IBA was gravely concerned by the contents of a May 4 open letter from more than 120 current and former Canadian boxers, coaches, officials and provincial bodies.
The letter detailed what the signatories called a “toxic culture of fear and silence” and demanded the immediate resignation of Trepanier and a Sport Canada investigation.
“Many athletes feel they have suffered physical abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect by the organization because of their failure to address these issues,” the open letter stated. “Repeated attempts have been made to bring these issues to light, and they have been ignored or dismissed. For example, last year, a comprehensive collection of the experiences of Boxing Canada's athletes was submitted to the Board of Directors in the form of a confidential memorandum. No formal investigation was launched to look into allegations.”
Kovács made it clear in his letter to Savage, which was copied to federal sport minister Pascale St-onge and other Canadian sport officials, that the IBA will be looking into all allegations raised in the open letter.
“The safeguarding of athletes here in Istanbul is an absolute priority that I hope we share,” Kovács wrote. “Meanwhile, the safeguarding of boxers and the boxing community more widely is, and will remain, a priority for the current IBA leadership team. As of this moment, I understand the Boxing Canada team has not yet arrived at the hotel here and has also not yet attended the accreditation centre.
“In the first instance, please be aware IBA has taken the decision to set aside Mr. Trepanier's accreditation. I would ask you to urgently consider whether you feel Mr. Trepanier's presence in Istanbul is appropriate and whether it would be appropriate to separate him from other members of your team with immediate effect.”
Kovács asked for a response from Savage by the end of the business day in Canada Friday. He said the IBA “will then consider whether it is necessary to ask the IBA ethics committee to consider the case of Mr. Trepanier as a matter of urgency, with a view to a provisional sanction against him in order to safeguard participants here in Istanbul.”
What's more, based on the contents of the open letter, Kovács states that an IBA integrity officer is reviewing materials to forward to the ethics committee “and this review may also consider Boxing Canada's actions or lack thereof.”
Kovács asked Savage to provide a copy of the memo on athlete experiences referenced in the open letter so it could be forwarded to the integrity officer, along with evidence that the matter had been referred to Boxing Canada's ethics committee or any other similar body.
“I would also be grateful if you would please outline what measures you have already put in place and/or intend to put in place to safeguard the members of your team currently participating in Istanbul from abuse,” Kovács wrote. “Please be aware that IBA is likely to make contact directly with your team here, to inform them of the safeguarding measures that IBA has in place.”
In their open letter, the signatories state that Boxing Canada “has shown a blatant disregard” for the mental and physical health of athletes, and that the organization's safe sport policy and independent investigation process is inadequate.
“Many allegations of misconduct, including sexual misconduct, have been ignored and not reported to the Board of Directors as they should have been,” the open letter states. “In addition, the High-performance Director has forced athletes to train or compete in unsafe environments. Athletes have been forced to spar with clear signs of concussions or against teammates with significant weight class disparities, both of which were extremely unsafe. Athletes were forced to put up with the status quo if they wished to remain in the sport.”
The open letter also states that through Trepanier, Boxing Canada “has cultivated an authoritarian leadership style that retaliates against the careers of those who speak out against the organization and silences others who have genuine concerns but are instilled by fear. The toxic culture at Boxing Canada has led to athletes and staff who have experienced and witnessed a constant stream of harassment in the form of homophobic, misogynistic, sexist, and other disrespectful comments by Boxing Canada's top program management. Boxing Canada has been made aware of these concerns but has failed to take action. These issues have perpetuated the athletes' fear of speaking out.”
Boxing Canada replied to the open letter by detailing actions it has taken over the past few months “to improve the transparency and governance of the organization.”
The measures included the creation of a high performance advisory group to ensure transparency in high-performance decisions, including team selection; the separation of the high-performance director role from coaching responsibilities; the creation of a national panel of experts to select the 2022-23 national team; and the engagement of a third-party expert in March 2022 to conduct a culture review of the high-performance program. Boxing Canada also stated that an ongoing, independent third-party process allows anyone to submit a complaint in a confidential manner.