Skate Canada is committed to creating a safe and inclusive sporting environment. To support these objectives the following requirements are being put in place for all officials beginning September 1, 2019.
The Eligibility to Officiate Rule in Rules of Sport – Officials will be revised for the 2019-2020 season to reflect the following new requirements. In order to officiate at a competition sanctioned by Skate Canada or at an assessment day, the following must apply:
- Judges (not including STAR 1-4 Judges), referees, data specialists and evaluators must be registrants in good standing
- STAR 1-4 judges, base level technical officials, technical controllers and technical specialists must be registrants or members in good standing
- All officials must be sixteen years of age or older
- Must be qualified as per the Officials Appointment and Qualification Procedure
- Must have completed the Skate Canada Code of Ethics Officials Training (valid for one year).
- Must have completed the Respect in Sport Activity Training (valid for 3 years).
The new rules will be reflected in the Rule book on July 1, 2019.
The Respect in Sport and Code of Ethics training are now available through the eLearning site. Officials must complete training prior to officiating during the 2019-2020 season. Coaches who are also officials (STAR 1-4 or technical panel) must complete the Officials Code of Ethics training in addition to the Coaches Code of Ethics training.
Background
The Respect in Sport Activity Leader Program educates youth leaders, coaches, and officials to recognize, understand and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination (BAHD). Officials are a huge influence in our sport and this training will assist them in creating a safe, healthy, respectful environment and will assist them in recognizing when a child may be at risk. It will also help an official to be prepared in the event of a disclosure from any individual as well as the many ethical decisions one can face throughout the season. These are critical concepts, and both the Respect in Sport training and Code of Ethics module will help officials by providing them with important knowledge and tools.
Skate Canada has taken a greater stand on putting the safety and well-being of our athletes first. Respect in Sport is designed to provide good people with practical tools to be better leaders.
If you have any questions about this update, please contact [email protected].
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