Ottawa – May 31, 2024 – On May 2, 2024, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, announced that the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) and Abuse-Free Sport would be transitioned out of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and into the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) effective April 1, 2025.
As an independent organization with a vision of fair, safe, accessible, and inclusive sport, the CCES is pleased to assume the responsibility for administering the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS).
The transition provides an opportunity to review the program and consider ways to improve and revise its operations once the CCES assumes responsibility on April 1, 2025. In the coming months, the CCES will consult broadly with athletes (current and retired), the sport community, and experts to hear about your experiences to date and suggestions moving forward.
Consultation on OSIC and the Abuse-Free Sport Program
We welcome thoughts from all Abuse-Free Sport Program signatories and their participants on their experiences with the program to date, and how we can build upon the early successes to improve it going forward. Below is an outline of the consultation plan.
June 2024
The CCES will distribute a survey to existing Abuse-Free Sport signatories to gather feedback and information that will be used to inform revisions to the program. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
July to September 2024
A first draft of the next version of this program will be written using the information gathered in the survey, guided by a diverse set of experts including athletes. The draft will be accompanied by an explanatory document that clearly identifies the revisions and the rationale to support them.
October or early November 2024
A series of comprehensive engagement opportunities, both in-person and virtual, will take place across Canada to seek feedback on the potential revisions. Dates for these sessions will be shared in the fall along with the questions and topics to assist in guiding the discussion.
Late November or December 2024
Revisions to the program will be confirmed and announced.
January to March 2025
CCES staff will work with signatories to onboard and implement the new program and its requirements.
We look forward to hearing from all signatories and sport participants and learning from your collective experiences.
NOTE: During this transition period, the current version of the OSIC and Abuse-Free Sport remain in force and are under the authority of the SDRCC.
About the CCES
The CCES works collaboratively to ensure Canadians have a positive sport experience. Through its programs, the CCES manages unethical issues in sport, protects the integrity of Canadian sport, and promotes True Sport to activate values-based sport on and off the field of play. The CCES is an independent, national, not-for profit organization that is responsible for the administration of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. The CCES acknowledges funding, in part, from the Government of Canada. For more information, visit cces.ca, and follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.