Luge Canada, AthletesCAN latest Canadian sport organizations to join Abuse-Free Sport
Will have access to services of the new Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner
Luge Canada and AthletesCAN have joined Abuse-Free Sport, the federal government's new independent program to prevent and address maltreatment in sport.
Luge Canada is the latest national sports federation to sign on to the program after allegations of sexual misconduct and other abuses have roiled organizations like Hockey Canada and Gymnastics Canada.
Both organizations will have access to the services of the new Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), which serves as the central hub for Abuse-Free Sport, following a transition period ending Feb. 2, 2023 at the latest.
Luge Canada is also fully adopting the University Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS).
Luge participants who have experienced or witnessed abuse will have access to the organization's independent third-party services until Feb. 2.
AthletesCAN 'happy' to join Abuse-Free Sport
AthletesCAN, the association of Canada's national team athletes, has joined Abuse-Free Sport, the federal government's new program to prevent and address maltreatment in sport.
AthletesCAN will have access to the new Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), which is the central hub of Abuse-Free Sport, following a transition period that will end no later than Dec. 21.
"We are happy to have joined Abuse-Free Sport and to soon have the OSIC to administer our safe sport complaints," AthletesCAN vice-president Bo Hedges said. "As the only independent organization representing Canada's national team athletes, the development, implementation and successful execution of this new mechanism has been a priority for our members for many years."
Canada's sport minister Pascale St-Onge has given national sport organizations a deadline of April to sign on with OSIC, or risk losing federal funding. Athletes in numerous sports including gymnastics, bobsled and skeleton have been vocal about maltreatment in their sports, amid what St-Onge has called a "safe-sport crisis" in Canada.
