Modular Technology Built for SafeSport Compliance

Like all other social institutions, sports has a long history of dealing with harassment and abuse. Unfortunately, the sports industry has been quite slow to create effective responses and programs. The lack of timely action has resulted in the rise of the SafeSport movement. The SafeSport movement is a global initiative led by governing bodies to recognize, reduce and respond to misconduct in sport. The primary goal is to protect athletes. However, the success of Safe Sport would benefit everyone from officials and coaches to organizations.

Uplifter has a deep understanding of the evolving changes in the sports industry guided by the Safe Sport movement. Our technology offers robust and efficient mechanisms for waiver management and aiding organizations to screen, certify and license coaches and officials. This blog gives you an insight into the safe sport movement, its impact on various organizations and athletes, and how our technology supports Safe Sport compliance in an efficient and timely manner.

What does SafeSport mean?

Few countries such as the United States have developed independent non-profit organisations like the U.S Center for Safe Sport. These organisations are committed to building a sports community free of abuse and misconduct. Generally, Safe Sport is considered as a global movement with the Federal Government and Olympic body of each country, enacting policies, acts, and requirements for sports organizations to follow.

Here in Canada, where Uplifter has its headquarters, there have been great strides in combating athlete abuse over the last couple of years. While many countries sports organizations have systems in place to protect athletes, Canada has had no universal system or set of standards set to prevent the abuse.

To overcome the above, the Canadian Coaching Association hosted the first National Safe Sport Summit in Ottawa in the last August to create pan-Canadian action to prevent abuse, harassment, and bullying of athletes. The summit resulted in drafting a Safe Sport Code of Conduct. Which is due to be shared with provincial ministers to build on the changes the government is making in the field of sport.

Let’s take a step back and discuss the significance of these measures.

Why are SafeSport solutions crucial?

Safe Sport solutions aims to put an end to all forms of discrimination, harassment and abuse of athletes. Failing to protect athletes has many negative consequences outside foreseeability. Without sportsperson, there is no sport, which is why the foundation of any Safe Sport initiative should be to listen to their athletes.

Effects of Abuse on Athletes

Physical: Illnesses and Injuries, Performance Loss, Disordered Eating, PTSD, Self Harm, STIs

Mental Health: Depression, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Suicide

Behavioral: Drop-out, Cheating

Relational: Social Exclusion and Economic Losses

Effects of Abuse on Organizations

Reputational Damage

Loss of Athletes and fans

Loss of Sponsorship

Reduced Public Confidence and Trust

The Impact of SafeSport on Sport Organizations

Now that we understand the severity of the issue, we can see how this movement is changing the nature of the sport. Sport Organizations are now deeply committed to implementing and monitoring policies and procedures for Safe Sport.

These include athlete & stakeholder education programs, creating a response system for concern and complaints, appointing personnel to implement Safe Sport technology, fostering direct and meaningful relationships with parents/guardians, and partnering with expert technology consultants like Uplifter to create a systematic multi-disciplinary and multi-agency approach.

Third-party agencies organizations might need to integrate systems which include: law enforcement, media, medical, child protection, counselling, and support or other groups. These integrations are just one of the many benefits Uplifter provides, which leads us to the next topic.

How Uplifter’s Software Supports SafeSport Compliance

Over the past few years, we have been collaborating with multiple sports organizations to tackle their most substantial obstacles around Safe Sport and enabling them to reach their goals. While every sport is different, struggles with Safe Sport technology is a recurring message, even for well-funded sports.

Working collaboratively with early adopters such as Triathlon Canada, Cycling Canada, and other PSOs have been integral to the development of Uplifters industry-leading technology stack. Built to enable tight processes around accreditation and athlete safety in collaboration with CAC, insurers, online education providers, and security check companies.

We have discussed below the highlights of our three most popular Safe Sport modules. As our Safe Sport technology is built in a modular fashion, we can implement one or many of these features on your behalf in a short time frame.

Ready to learn more? Explore our services, or get a free demo to discuss what modules might benefit your organization.

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Disclaimer: This post was originally published under the name Uplifter Technology Inc. As of January 2025, the company is operating under its new name, Uplifter Inc. All references have been updated to reflect this change.