Ottawa, ON, May 29, 2019 - The Canadian Sport Helpline is a new initiative to ensure that all Canadians participating in sport can do so in a safe and welcoming environment, regardless of the role they play. Safe sport is everyone’s responsibility, and the national toll-free helpline offers assistance to victims and witnesses of harassment, abuse, discrimination, and bullying.
In its press release, Marie-Claude Asselin, CEO of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), highlights the helpline as “not only for victims, [but] also for witnesses. By-standers have the power to eliminate abuse by coming forward not only for the current victim but for all potential victims.”
Parents, coaches, volunteers, athletes, and game officials can all access the helpline and receive advice, guidance, and resources from qualified professionals.
To improve accessibility, the Canadian Sport Helpline is available seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time, in both English and French. The service can be reached by phone toll-free at 1-888-83-SPORT (77678), email at info@abuse-free-sport.ca, text, or live chat, and is completely anonymous and confidential. Together, we can all work towards abuse-free sport.