Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there needs to be more transparency and accountability in sport as the federal government froze funding for Gymnastics Canada amid a flurry of abuse allegations and growing calls by athletes to investigate the complaints.
“I’ve had many conversations over the past number of weeks and months about the real concerns we have about a number of different organizations across the country that are not fulfilling their responsibility to keep our kids, keep our athletes safe,” he told reporters on Friday.
Trudeau comments came as Ottawa suspended funds to Gymnastics Canada, a week after doing the same for Hockey Canada.
In announcing the latest freeze, Sport Minister Pascale said the Gymnastics Canada needs to step up its commitment to an independent program looking at abuse complaints in sports before the funds can be restored.
“A few days ago, I notified GymCan that they needed to accelerate their process to sign up with OSIC, and that funding would be suspended until they met that requirement,” Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge told Global News in an emailed statement on Friday.
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Canada’s first sport integrity commissioner, Sarah-Eve Pelletier, launched the OSIC in May. Her office has been tasked with receiving complaints about alleged maltreatment in sports and where necessary, launch independent investigations.
So far, Volleyball Canada and Weightlifting Canada Haltérophilie, have signed up to the OSIC and “dozens” of other sports organizations are currently negotiating their contracts, according to a spokesperson for the office.
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In an open letter to the sports minster on Thursday, hundreds of Canadian gymnasts pressed for an independent third-party investigation to address what they called a “systemic culture of abuse” in the sport.
“We need urgent action now to stop the toxic abuse in the sport,” the letter said, asking the minister, “How many more children need to be abused before you act?”
In March, another open letter was addressed to Sport Canada’s director general Vicki Walker, Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge, Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) president Trisha Smith and Gymnastics Canada CEO Ian Moss.
In that letter, which sought the support of more than 400 athletes, gymnasts said the fear of retribution had prevented them from speaking out for nearly a decade.
In previous interviews with Global News, former Canadian gymnasts said they had to face constant weight shaming, were told they were “too fat” and were asked to lose weight.
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St-Onge said in her statement Friday she understands “the sense of urgency that motivates these athletes” and shared their desire for meaningful change.
“Since my appointment, my priority has been to work with the tools at my disposal and find solutions that encompass our sport system,” she added.
For the 2020-21 fiscal year, Gymnastics Canada received a total of $3,116,134 from the federal government.
Last month, Ottawa also froze funding to Hockey Canada as the organization remains embroiled in a firestorm of scrutiny over its handling of sexual assault allegations.
The national sporting body announced last week it was reopening a third-party investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving members of the country’s 2018 world junior team.
— with files from Teresa Wright and David Baxter
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
