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Ottawa, February 16, 2023 - Water Polo Canada is pleased to announce that the National Sport Organization will join Abuse-Free Sport, the new independent program to prevent and address maltreatment in sport, following an agreement with the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC). The agreement will come into effect no later than March 31, 2023, following a transition period.
Water Polo Canada’s administrators and staff members, national officials, committee members and event volunteers, as well as participants, including coaches, of various National Teams, High Performance Programs and from the National Championship League (NCL), will have access to the services of OSIC, which serves as the central hub of Abuse-Free Sport, following a transition period that will end no later than March 31, 2023.
“Water Polo Canada recognizes that safe sport is everyone’s responsibility,” said the President of Water Polo Canada, Kathleen Dawson. “We’re fully committed to doing our part to support this important movement that will change the culture of sport in this country. As part of that commitment, we’re pleased to sign on to Abuse-Free Sport and to have the OSIC manage our safe sport complaints. Everyone will benefit from this kind of consistent national program, which is an important step forward for sport in Canada.”
During the transition period, Water Polo Canada will complete the required policy changes to become part of the Abuse-Free Sport program, including fully adopting the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS).
Until the transition period is over, Water Polo Canada participants who have experienced or witnessed abuse will continue to have access to independent third-party services through Lise Maclean. All of the information regarding Water Polo Canada’s Independent Safe Sport Officer is available at https://www.waterpolo.ca/content/independent-safe-sport-officer.
More information on Abuse-Free Sport can be found at www.abuse-free-sport.ca and more specifically on the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) at www.sportintegritycommissioner.ca.
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