OCF Board of Directors Approves New Slate of Safe Sport Policies

The Ontario Climbing Federation has established a new reporting mechanism to ensure a safe sporting environment for all participants in sport climbing.

April 5, 2023 (Ottawa, ON) – The Ontario Climbing Federation’s Board of Directors has just approved a slate of Safe Sport Policies to introduce a new reporting and disciplinary mechanism. These will help ensure our athletes and participants are welcomed in a safe environment across of our sanctioned activities.

“We are extremely proud to bring forward these new sets of policies as we seek to provide the best possible sporting environment for all our stakeholders,” said Maria Richardson, Chair of the OCF Board of Directors. “As the OCF continues to grow, we want to be at the forefront of initiatives to protect not only our athletes, but all our stakeholders. This is why we have gone ahead and adopted a framework that has an Independent Third-Party act as our Case Manager, thereby ensuring an independent process for triaging and adjudicating any complaints as they come forward.”

These new policies take effect immediately and are but a small part of the ongoing work the OCF Board is moving ahead with. Over the coming weeks and months, the OCF will be continuing the development of further Safe Sport policies, updating some of our previous policies, and adapting our training and education with all our members to prepare for the upcoming season.

“While we are a relatively young organization, we have a duty to ensure we provide an athlete-first environment that is safe for all participants. The OCF Board has been incredibly diligent on this point, and we will continue to build all of the components that will make us a very strong sport organization for years to come,” said Nathan Abdelnour, Executive Director of OCF. “The building of a safe sport environment does not simply come with the building of policy, but with the ongoing mentoring and education of our membership and the wider climbing community. I am very much looking forward to working with all our stakeholders to continue this growth in our awareness and approach to Safe Sport.”

You can find all relevant information regarding the OCF Safe Sport policies by clicking this link. For more information, please contact info@climbontario.ca.