For issues occurring with national level “participants” (as identified by Karate Canada) please contact the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (the Office). It also operates independently to administer complaints about alleged violations of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS).

Where there are admissible allegations of abuse, harassment or discrimination, the Office conducts independent investigations and recommends sanctions against individuals who violate the UCCMS.

The Office will also maintain a national sanctions registry, which prevents individuals from evading sanctions by moving to different sports or to different jurisdictions.

For designated participants within our organization, there is access to a wide range of resources, including victim services and referrals to specialized mental health professionals and experienced lawyers – all available in English and French. You can access the website by visiting https://abuse-free-sport.ca/.

SDRCC HELPLINE
Web:www.abuse-free-sport.ca
Phone/Text:1-888-83-SPORT(77678)
Email: info@abuse-free-sport.ca

The Canadian Sport Helpline was launched in March 2019 providing a safe place for victims and witnesses of harassment, abuse and discrimination to speak in confidence to a neutral third party and get the help they need.

This professional listening and referral service is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, by phone or text at 1-888-83SPORT (77678), and by email at info@abuse-free-sport.ca.

If you want to report a situation/individual or place a complaint you can do so to an independent third party safe sport officer (see Reporting section below).

Karate Canada is also a proud supporter of You Can Play which works to ensure safety and inclusion for all who participate in sports, including LGBTQ athletes, coaches, and fans. You Can Play as well as Karate Canada believe sport should focus on an athlete’s skills, work ethic, and competitive spirit, not their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

What is Karate Canada doing to promote and sustain a safe and healthy environment for all its members/registrants?

Required training
Karate Canada’s staff, Board of Directors, National Team coaches and athletes, officials and key volunteers are all required to take the Respect in Sport training. This training will help participants recognize, understand and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.

Parents, you would also like to take the training? The Respect in Sport for Parent Program was specifically created for you. It will help define a standard of behaviour for all parents and create a more rewarding, safe and respectful environment for everyone involved. This training is about 1h and costs $12. Click here to take the training.

Responsible Coaching Movement
The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a multi-phase system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. It addresses the role coaches play with issues relating to the health and safety of athletes, both on and off the field of play. Karate Canada is currently implementing the first phase which includes:

• Rule of Two: the goal of the Rule of Two is to ensure all interactions and communications are open, observable, and justifiable. Its purpose is to protect participants (especially minors) and coaches in potentially vulnerable situations by ensuring more than one adult is present. There may be exceptions in emergency situations.
• Background Screening: all our National Team coaches go through an interview process, reference check as well as a criminal record check and vulnerable sector check (when applicable).
• Ethics Training: see Required Training above. Furthermore, all coaches participating in the Karate Canada National Championships must have done the Making Ethical Decision training available via the Coaching Association of Canada.

Policies
Karate Canada has numerous policies and procedures to help protect its members and will be reviewing/updating all of them in 2020-2021.

• Code of conduct and ethics
• Harassment
• Equity and access
• Conflict of interests
• Protection of personal information
• Discipline and complaints
• Appeals

You can find them in the Resources/Governance section of our website. The WKF also has a Safe Sport Policy and other interesting resources on their website.

Karate Canada has developed the Karate Canada Concussion Guidelines to help guide the management of athletes who may have a suspected concussion as a result of participation in Karate Canada activities. These guidelines are based on the Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport from Parachute.

A concussion is a brain injury that cannot be seen on routine X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs. It affects the way you may think and remember things, and can cause a variety of symptoms. Here are some key points to remember on concussion management:

1. Recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion
2. Remove the athlete from the game or practice
3. Refer the athlete to a licensed healthcare professional
4. Return to school and then to sport based on the recommendations of a medical expert

Karate Canada Concussion Guidelines (March 28, 2021)

• Pre-season Education Sheet
• Medical Assessment Letter
• Medical Clearance Letter

Resources

• Parachute
  • Concussion guide for athletes
  • Concussion guide for coaches and trainers
  • Concussion guide for parents and caregivers
  • Return to sport strategy
  • Concussion Recognition Tool 5 (CRT5)
  • Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5)
• Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC)
  • Concussion Resources

Anti-Doping and Sport Information

• CCES website: www.cces.ca
• True Sport website: www.truesport.ca
• CCES E-Learning: contact the CCES for additional information
• Canadian Anti-Doping Program
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2021 Prohibited List

Substance Information

• Global DRO: www.globaldro.com
• Contacting the CCES: 1-800-672-7775 or substances@cces.ca

Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)

• CCES Medical Exemption Wizard: www.cces.ca/mewizard
• Contacting the CCES: 1-800-672-7775 or tue-aut@cces.ca

Report Doping

• Report Doping Hotline: 1-800-710-CCES or www.cces.ca/reportdoping

Note: 
Various printed resources are available. 
Contact the CCES for more information (education@cces.ca or 1-800-672-7775).