Rowing Canada signs safe-sport agreement on heels of damaging independent study

Rowing Canada has signed an agreement to join Abuse-Free Sport, three weeks after an independent report revealed a toxic environment in the sport.

The national federation will be able to access the new Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner following a transition period that will end no later than Dec. 13.

"The sport community is in need of a consistent national safe sport program and this is a great step forward for everyone involved in sport in Canada," said Jennifer Fitzpatrick, Rowing Canada's director of partnerships and sport development. "We look forward to working with the [Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada]."

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Marnie McBean called the results of Thomlinson's report "shocking."

In an Instagram post, McBean quoted the report's findings: Over 50 per cent of people surveyed describe their experience with RCA's high-performance environment as negative; over 85 per cent of people surveyed witness, experienced or heard maltreatment; and over 25 per cent of those surveyed wouldn't report maltreatment.

"These results should be a clear indicator to RCA board members that rowing is not being managed well by its leadership and that change is needed immediately," McBean wrote. "When are they going to accept the evidence that has been presented to them?"

A member of Canada's Olympic team told The Canadian Press she was recovering from an eating disorder caused by her unhealthy relationship with former national women's coach Dave Thompson, who was fired in February 2020, five months ahead of the original start date of the Tokyo Olympics. The dismissal came after a 2019 complaint filed against him under Rowing Canada's Prevention of Abuse, Harassment and Bullying Policy.

Thomlinson's