Three University of Toronto sport scholars are asking CanadaB次元官网网址檚 sport minister to take a look at Own The PodiumB次元官网网址檚 mandate amid mounting allegations of athlete maltreatment.
In a letter to Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge, Bruce Kidd, Peter Donnelly and Gretchen Kerr said that OTP has a medals-first mandate that puts pressure on national sport organizations to prioritize top results over health and safety.
B次元官网网址淲hat began as a carrot has turned out to be a stick,B次元官网网址� the letter said. B次元官网网址淲e believe that the ultimate measure for the success of the Canadian sports system should not be medals, but the health and wellbeing of athletes, and the quality and quantity of the opportunities we provide Canadians in sports, both at the highest levels and at the grassroots.B次元官网网址�
Kidd, Donnelly and Kerr joined a growing chorus of voices for sweeping changes in CanadaB次元官网网址檚 sport system after recent accusations of maltreatment in a number of sports.
St-Onge held an emergency roundtable meeting last week in Ottawa, telling The Canadian Press that since she was appointed Sport Minister almost six months ago, more than eight national sport organizations have faced accusations of everything from sexual abuse to misappropriation of funds.
St-Onge vowed to accelerate the opening date of an independent complaint mechanism through the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, and on Tuesday former artistic swimmer Sarah-Eve Pelletier was named as CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first sport integrity commissioner. On Thursday, the federal government announced $16 million for PelletierB次元官网网址檚 office allocated over three years.
More than 70 current and retired gymnasts B次元官网网址� the number has grown to over 300 B次元官网网址� wrote to Sport Canada last week asking for an independent investigation into their sport in Canada.
Under the Twitter handle @Gym4ChangeCan, they said Thursday that theyB次元官网网址檇 spoken with the Sport MinisterB次元官网网址檚 office this week B次元官网网址渁nd are encouraged by these discussions. We look forward to meeting again in the near future about the next steps to make gymnastics safe for all.B次元官网网址�
OTP, meanwhile, was established to help the Canadian team top the medal standings at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and recommends how much federal funding each sport receives. CEO Anne Merklinger said, however, thereB次元官网网址檚 been a shift in mandate in recent years to a more B次元官网网址渧alues-based approachB次元官网网址� to sporting excellence.
B次元官网网址淲hile the initial focus was primarily on medals, over the last four to five years, weB次元官网网址檝e worked very hard to ensure that essentially how CanadaB次元官网网址檚 athletes achieve success on the international stage is as important as the results themselves,B次元官网网址� Merklinger told The Canadian Press. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just about reaching performance goals, but how you achieve those goals in a supportive culture of excellence that is safe for all to enjoy the journey. WeB次元官网网址檝e been working very hard on that.B次元官网网址�
Merklinger pointed to Maggie Mac NeilB次元官网网址檚 recent news she wonB次元官网网址檛 compete in individual events at the world championships. The Olympic swim champion said the pressure had been affecting her mental health. She told CBC that B次元官网网址�(Swimming Canada) definitely have been thinking of us as a person first which is so important. IB次元官网网址檓 grateful for that.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭here are many of those examples,B次元官网网址� Merklinger said. B次元官网网址淲e can always be better, and everyone is working hard together to be better, including Own The Podium.B次元官网网址�
Among their suggestions to Sport Canada, Kidd, Donnelly and Kerr said athlete representatives should constitute a minimum of 30 per cent of national sport and multi-sport organizations, as B次元官网网址渢hey know better than anyone what they need to succeed and stay healthy.B次元官网网址�
They suggest a completely independent review of the funding framework, including incentives set out by Sport Canada and OTP.
And thirdly, they recommend an independent study of the requirements needed for a cultural change to prioritize athletesB次元官网网址� rights, health and wellbeing.
B次元官网网址淗ealthy, happy athletes also win medals, and go on to live healthy, fulfilling lives without the physical and mental damage weB次元官网网址檙e hearing athletes speak about now,B次元官网网址� they wrote.
Merklinger said four national sport organizations, in consultation with their athletes, will soon be participating in a pilot project of a new tool that is B次元官网网址渢hat stresses a balanced approach to people and performance.
B次元官网网址淓xperts have developed this tool, not OTP,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪o, we believe it will be of significant value for the system. Our focus as an organization is to really provide tools for national sport organizations to strengthen their own culture.B次元官网网址�
In recent weeks, dozens of Canadian bobsled and skeleton athletes wrote an open letter calling for the resignation of their NSOB次元官网网址檚 acting CEO and high performance director amid what they called a toxic culture. The gymnasts followed with a similar letter to Sport Canada a month later, asking for a third-party investigation.
B次元官网网址擫ori Ewing, The Canadian Press
