Abuse-Free Sport Helpline
The Abuse-Free Sport Helpline is a national toll-free helpline offering assistance to victims and witnesses of harassment, abuse, and discrimination in a sport environment.
This anonymous, confidential, independent service allows people to share and validate their concerns, obtain guidance on required next steps, and get referrals to other resources for follow-up.
Access the helpline toll-free from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern Time), seven days a week by telephone, text, live chat, or email in both official languages.
- Visit: abuse-free-sport.ca
- Email: [email protected]
- Call or text: 1-888-83SPORT (1-888-837-7678)
Abuse-Free Sport is responsible for investigating reported violations of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) and for imposing sanctions against individuals who violate the Code. It’s an independent program that is part of the growing national movement to rid Canadian sport of all forms of harassment, discrimination, and abuse. Abuse-Free Sport aims to prevent maltreatment at all levels of sport across Canada through education, training, and research.
If left unchecked, maltreatment will threaten the health and safety of participants and undermine Canadians’ trust and confidence in sport. Canadians should have a reasonable expectation that sport lives up to the general principles and commitment of the UCCMS, resulting in sport that is accessible, inclusive, respects participants’ goals and is free from all forms of maltreatment.
What is the UCCMS?
- Provides the foundation for the development of a coordinated implementation strategy to prevent and address maltreatment.
- Applies to all levels of the sport system, and for all participants, such as athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, and practitioners.
- Is the result of an extensive consultation process that sought insight and expertise from within the sport system and from external subject matter experts.
- Defines the sexual, physical and psychological forms of maltreatment that are prohibited in sport.
- Outlines appropriate sanctions for individuals who violate the UCCMS or engage in maltreatment.
Who is responsible for Abuse-Free Sport?
The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) serves as the central hub. It is responsible for complaint intake and manages admissible complaints through to the completion of an independent investigation, where warranted.
The OSIC is housed within the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and funded by Government of Canada.
Who is subject to complaints?
Complaints that allege violations of the UCCMS can be lodged against designated participants in sport organizations that sign on to the Abuse-Free Sport program. The Government of Canada requires that all federally funded sport organizations adopt the UCCMS and join Abuse-Free Sport.
The CCES joined the program in March 2023. The CCES and its stakeholders (board members, employees, casual staff, volunteers, and contractors) have access to the services of the OSIC.
The current Independent Third Party (ITP) services led by Hugh Fraser will remain in place for complaints not covered by the UCCMS. Anonymous complaints can be submitted to the ITP by email to [email protected].
What else can I do?
The CCES believes that sport organizations at all levels can foster safer, more inclusive and positive environments by using the True Sport Principles as an upstream approach to the prevention of maltreatment and the promotion of safe sport, because the absence of maltreatment is not good enough. Collectively, we must strive for sport that delivers positive benefits to individuals and communities.