Secure sport training and coaching is required for coaches, officers and typically even directors in most provinces throughout Canada–however the system leaves athletes themselves missing the identical assets. To shut this great hole, Athletics Canada (AC) teamed up with the volleyball and swimming nationwide sport organizations, launching a first-of-its-kind training program, Secure Sport Training Sources for Youth aged 13-19.
The nationwide sport organizations for volleyball, swimming and athletics are happy to announce the launch of Secure Sport Training Sources for Youth aged 13 to 19. The free program is accessible in each official languages at https://t.co/qlqmhUVxHe pic.twitter.com/EIQ2sW4Gda
— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) January 23, 2025
The coaching is free, bilingual and digitally interactive, and consists of eight modules which are two to 3 minutes in size–the entire program solely takes about 20 minutes. Athletes will obtain a certificates upon completion.
Chris Winter, AC’s director of home applications & secure sport, gave Canadian Operating the within scoop. “It was a loopy lengthy work in progress,” the previous Olympic steeplechaser mentioned. “We had a imaginative and prescient to deal with athlete training round secure sport, and thought it was most related to youth, who’re in a developmental stage and are extra in danger. We determined to begin there–they’ll be the following era of athletes that may graduate into senior ranks.”
The three governing our bodies teamed up with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), which granted them funding to carry the undertaking to life. Collaboring with different sports activities additionally allowed them to share the prices of growing and distributing this system.
The content material for the brand new Secure Sport program was developed by two-time Olympian and former alpine skier, Allison Forsyth. Forsyth is herself a survivor of sexual assault in sport and a passionate advocate for secure sport training; she based her personal secure sport program, Era Secure. She’s usually featured as a keynote speaker, sharing her story to teach athletes and coaches.
Within the temporary, but informative, movies, Forsyth dives into seven matters:
- Bullying
- Hazing
- Boundary transgressions
- Grooming
- Discrimination, psychological and bodily maltreatment
- Neglect, sexual maltreatment and micro-aggressions
- Report and assist
AC appears to be like to get suggestions on this system from athletes and coaches earlier than working towards making it a requirement for U18 and U20 nationwide and provincial groups. AC additionally hopes that membership groups will implement the training modules for workforce members, though they’ll’t power golf equipment to undertake the system–the physique solely controls athletics on the nationwide stage.
Respect in Sport, a secure sport coaching program provided by the Respect Group, is already required for nationwide workforce coaches. The content material is up to date and coaching should be refreshed each 4 years. Winter says AC’s new system will function in the identical manner.
This system director emphasised that that is simply the primary iteration of the undertaking, with additional developments anticipated sooner or later. “We envision secure sport to be an overarching theme that different points can fall below,” he says. “When folks hear ‘secure sport,’ they often consider maltreatment or sexual abuse. Going ahead, we additionally wish to cowl matters similar to physique picture, REDs, disordered consuming, concussion and accidents.”
With the brand new program, athletes are being empowered to proceed defending themselves and others on the planet of sport. “We’re difficult athletes to be proactive and search data, and to be a part of the system to make sport safer,” Winter says.