Wrestlers call on Duncan for third party on safe sport issues
Canadian wrestlers are appealing to sport minister Kirsty Duncan to establish a third-party body to handle cases of harassment and abuse.
Members of the national wrestling team sent an open letter to Duncan on Monday, claiming issues of conflict of interest and inconsistency in the current climate have created an environment of fear and mistrust.
“We find it concerning that National Sporting Organizations (NSOs) are left to self-regulate complaints pertaining to safety, harassment and abuse,” the letter said. “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.”
Safe sport has been governed through the Sport Canada Accountability Framework since it was implemented in 1996 in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal involving former junior hockey coach Graham James.
Sports must have a safe sport policy, and a designated individual to handle complaints, in place to receive government funding.
Critics complain policies aren’t adequately applied.
The wrestlers’ initiative came from a couple of Wrestling Canada workshops earlier this month in Vancouver, where athletes discussed safe sport issues including code of conduct requirements for coaches with external facilitator Amanda Stanec.
One of the major issues was the need for an independent body.
“We want the minister to know that athletes support an independent body to handle safe sport issues,” Jasmine Mian, a 2016 Olympian and chair of Wrestling Canada’s athlete council, said in a release.
“It’s not only in the best interest of athletes, but also in the best interest of the NSO. What constitutes safe sport should be consistent across Canada.”
The lack of a third party facilitator, Mian said, makes athletes fearful of reporting issues to their sport organizations.
“They worry about how reporting a serious issue would affect their reputation, team selection and funding,” Mian said.
“Even if an NSO has a fair process for reviewing and handling these serious issues, athletes may not perceive that the process is free of bias,” Mian added.
“Coaches and parents often feel the same way. You don’t want to raise an issue if you think it could adversely affect an athlete’s career.”
Duncan created the Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport in May, and safe sport is part of the group’s mandate.
Wrestling Canada said it supported the athletes’ appeal.
The organization recently formed the national Safety
First Task Force to review recommendations stemming from an independent review of the coaching culture in the sport.
Wrestling Canada had hired lawyer David Bennett to review coaching practices on the heels of two anonymous complaints of sexual abuse.
‘‘ What constitutes safe sport should be consistent across Canada. JASMINE MIAN Wrestling Canada’s athlete council