Newly announced reforms to make sports safer in Canada represent a step forward but more needs to be done than offer “Band-Aid solutions” to regain the trust of Canadian families involved in youth athletics, experts and advocates say.
Last week, federal Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge unveiled a slate of measures to improve the accountability of national sports organizations and bring about a “culture change” for athletes.
Among the steps Ottawa is taking is the setting up of a public registry of people who have been sanctioned or suspended within the sport system, as well as new funding to screen national coaches.
How will a sanctions registry work?
In recent years, a growing number of current and past athletes in Canada have alleged maltreatment and abuse, including sexual assault, in their sport.
Many of them, including dozens of gymnasts, have come forward and recounted their past experiences facing abuse from coaches when they were young.
“I think with the barrage of stories that have come forward about maltreatment in sport, it does raise questions about the public trust in the sport system,” said Gretchen Kerr, dean of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
A public sanctions registry could help parents make informed decisions for their kids and help curb the trend of sanctioned individuals jumping from one sports club to another or between provinces, she said. Own The Podium CEO Anne Merklinger said the organization would back a public inquiry into the entire sports system in Canada.
Meanwhile, the way sports are funded in Canada with the “win at all cost” approach indicates further steps need to be taken to ensure safe experiences for athletes, argued Kerr.
“As long as sports are funded based on performance or medal counts or medal potential, without consideration of the ways in which those medals are achieved, it’s going to be really tough to change the landscape, to prioritize athlete health and well-being and their rights.
Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/9701847/canada-safe-sports-measures-youth-athletes/
