Canada’s sport minister has defended the low number of complaints filed by the new sport integrity commissioner and urged sport organizations across the country to join the abuse-free sport program.
Pascale St-Onge has appointed Sarah-Eve Pelletier as the nation’s first Sport Integrity Commissioner amid a recent surge of current and former athletes pointing the finger at toxic cultures in their sport and demanding change.
The Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) began receiving complaints and reports on June 22, 2020.
The OSIC admitted 25% in the first quarter and 33% in the second quarter, citing jurisdictional reasons for the low percentage.
“I am proud to see that although the Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) is in its first six months of establishment, it is on the right track and has already started investigations into certain sports,” said St-Onge said Thursday in a statement.
OSIC’s authority is limited to sports whose governing bodies have completed the process of signing its abuse-free sport programme, the minister said.
Swimming Canada was the 24th sport federation to agree to terms and become a signatory to OSIC on Thursday.
Pelletier told The Canadian Press in an interview earlier this week that while a national sports organization may be a signatory, the provincial or territorial sports association or a club may not be.
“Data from the OSIC Quarterly Report shows that because the Commissioner can only review complaints made by OSIC member athletes, athletes at other levels (provincial or local) are being left behind,” explained St-Onge.
“That’s why it’s crucial that provinces and territories follow suit and have an independent process for filing complaints, whether by signing on with OSIC or creating their own.
“Changing the culture of sport is a collective responsibility, which is why we continue to work with other jurisdictions, such as provinces and territories, to move towards a system that is based on caring and respect for all athletes. No one should be left behind. .”
The OSIC deals with matters under a Universal Code of Conduct to prevent and address abuse in sport, which covers grooming, neglect, physical, sexual and psychological abuse, as well as retaliation, failure to report mistreatment, false allegations and abuse of power.
Appeals regarding illegal sports betting, conflict of interest, team selection, or the Athlete Assistance Program (Carding) are outside the jurisdiction of OSIC.
“In the event that OSIC is unable to offer its services to an athlete due to jurisdictional issues, it offers services to redirect the complaint to the correct authorities,” St-Onge said.
“That’s why we need to have mechanisms in all jurisdictions, that’s the collective next step. Our goal is that no athlete falls through the cracks.”
National sports federations must join OSIC or risk losing federal funding.
“All federally funded organizations should register with OSIC as soon as possible so that all athletes, regardless of which organization they belong to, can file complaints with the commissioner,” said The Minister.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 12, 2023.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
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