MONTREAL, QC – Following a successful first year that saw nine projects financed, the Abuse-Free Sport Research Grant Program (Program) is proud to announce the 2023-2024 grant recipients.

A further nine projects have been green lit for the 2023-2024 year by the Program, the overall objective of which is to invest in safe sport research to maintain and increase the understanding of the behaviours that need to be reinforced or prevented, and to evaluate the impact of the Abuse-Free Sport program and initiatives.

A total of $614,711 will fund this year’s projects and help to improve the development of effective policies, processes and practices—enhancing the sport experience for all. The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) has contributed $484,832.60 towards that total, while the remaining $129,878.40 will come from the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) Project Lighthouse. Jointly funded by the COC and the Government of Canada, Project Lighthouse is a system-wide safe sport awareness and communication project promoting tools and resources regarding harassment, abuse and discrimination in sport.

“We are very pleased with the interest shown in the Program,” declared Marie-Claude Asselin, Chief Executive Officer of the SDRCC. “On behalf of the SDRCC, I’d like to thank everyone who has submitted a proposal and who is invested in this important work. Thank you as well to the COC’s Project Lighthouse, whose contribution allowed the Program to fund two additional research projects, bringing the 2023-2024 total to nine.”

“The COC is deeply committed to safe sport,” said David Shoemaker, CEO and Secretary General of the COC. “High quality research, such as the work being funded by Project Lighthouse and the Program, is crucial for creating a safer system that is barrier-free and keeps more Canadians active.”

Congratulations to the 2023-2024 Abuse-Free Sport Research Grant Program recipients:

Simon Darnell – University of Toronto
Lindsay Duncan – McGill University
Audrey Giles – University of Ottawa
Joseph Gurgis – Ontario Tech University
Lyndsay Hayhurst – York University
Laura Misener – Western University
Catherine Sabiston – University of Toronto
Sarah Teetzel – University of Manitoba
Michael Van Bussel – Brock University  

To learn the titles of these funded projects, please visit the Program’s Grant Recipients webpage. The Program will also soon be sharing final reports of completed 2022-23 research projects on this page.

About Abuse-Free Sport

Abuse-Free Sport is an independent program responsible for upholding and administering the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS). Abuse-Free Sport seeks to influence a positive shift in Canada’s sport culture and to foster safe, inclusive and welcoming sport participation through a variety of prevention, response and engagement initiatives. The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) operates as an independent division of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) to administer the UCCMS as part of the Abuse-Free Sport program.

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About SDRCC

The SDRCC is a not-for-profit corporation created by federal legislation and funded by the Government of Canada. The mission of the SDRCC is to provide the sport community with a national alternative dispute resolution service and strengthen the culture of fairness in Canadian sport by resolving disputes quickly and efficiently and to provide expertise and assistance regarding alternative dispute resolution. The SDRCC is also mandated by the Government of Canada to implement an independent safe sport mechanism at the national level.

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For more information, please contact:

Jennifer Monk
media@abuse-free-sport.ca