National Post (National Edition)
Wrestlers ask feds for independent abuse investigator
TORONTO • Canada’s Sport Minister Kirsty Duncan said her mandate from Day 1 has been the health and safety of athletes.
Duncan applauded Wrestling Canada Tuesday for being transparent about unhealthy and unsafe training environments in the sport after the national sport organization commissioned an independent review to investigate reports of sexual abuse.
The minister’s comments came a day after Canadian wrestlers penned an open letter to Duncan to stress the importance of an independent body to handle cases of harassment or abuse.
“We want to get it right,” Duncan said. “From Day 1, protecting the health and safety of our athletes has been my priority.
“Wrestling Canada, would there have been a report before? Now have a report from Wrestling Canada and that’s encouraging that that sport is looking inward. On social media, I was clear thanking them for the report being done, but said ‘now I expect change.’ ”
Whether or not Duncan will heed the athletes’ request for an independent third party remains to be seen.
“We find it concerning that National Sporting Organizations (NSOS) are left to self-regulate complaints pertaining to safety, harassment and abuse,” wrestlers said in their letter to Duncan. “Regardless of the intentions of the NSO, the current system of NSO led investigations contain conflicts of interest that either directly bias the process or create the perception of bias. This has contributed to a strong sense of mistrust from athletes and a fear of reprisal that prevents adequate disclosure and reporting.”
The letter stemmed from an independent review by lawyer David Bennett that was commissioned by Wrestling Canada after anonymous complaints of sexual abuse. Bennett’s report outlined unhealthy and unsafe coaching practices.
“As athletes, we believe that an independent body is needed to review these complaints ... an independent body would demonstrate the federal government’s support of Safe Sport and would begin the process of restoring athletes’ trust in their governing bodies,” the letter said.
Safe sport has been governed through the Sport Canada accountability framework since it was implemented in 1996 in the wake of a sexual-abuse scan- dal involving former junior hockey coach Graham James. National sport organizations must have a safe sport policy — and a designated individual to handle complaints — in place to receive government funding.
Critics have claimed policies aren’t always satisfactorily applied. And depending on the size and budget of an NSO, harassment officers can be anyone from a volunteer to the organization’s CEO.
“At times, it doesn’t feel safe or comfortable for an athlete to come forward because we don’t want to put our goal, our lifelong dream of making an Olympic Games, in jeopardy,” Olympic gold-medallist Erica Wiebe said. “Sometimes it’s this fear of keeping the status quo rather than shifting the boat because there’s been no independent body that we can go to and feel safe.”
Retired skier Kelly Vanderbeek tweeted her support Tuesday, writing: “NSOS protecting the coaches (and public optics) over the athletes is something I’ve witnessed & experienced throughout my athletic career. A third-party body to handle cases of harassment & abuse is a needed step in structuring change.”
Duncan assumed minister of sport and persons with disabilities duties last January. With the ongoing #Metoo movement plus sexual harassment and assault cases in Alpine Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Gymnastics Canada, plus the high-profile sentencing of U.S. gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, her tenure comes during a watershed moment in sport.
“From Week 1 in this job, my priority has been putting athletes at the centre of the system. And there is nothing more important to me, there’s nothing more important than protecting the health and safety of our athletes,” Duncan said. “My two priorities that I went to the department with, one was abuse, discrimination and harassment and the second one was concussions.”
Duncan announced in June tougher measures to eliminate harassment, abuse and discrimination in sport. To be eligible for government funding, each NSO must disclose any incidents of abuse or harassment to the minister, must provide — within its framework — access to an independent third party to address abuse and harassment and must provide mandatory training on harassment and abuse to members by April 2020. The 2018 federal budget also committed $30 million toward gender equality in sport by 2035.