Sport Canada Policy on Women in Sport (1986)

Summary

The following statements apply to the policies and programs of Sport Canada.

Policy and Program Development

Sport Canada will continue its efforts to ensure that the needs of women in sport are identified, promoted and supported in all of its policies and programs. As new policies and programs are developed and others are updated, the particular concerns of women will be addressed.

Sport Stratification

Sport Canada supports the concept of sport programs organized on a sex-integrated basis up to the age of puberty. Beyond puberty, philosophically Sport Canada supports the concept of competitive structures based on skill level. Where the nature of the sport or event, at the highest level of competition, does not warrant stratification on the basis of sex, Sport Canada will encourage integrated competition at all levels - including the international levels.

Sport Infrastructure

Sport Canada supports the concept of integrated sport organizations: that is, one organization that governs the activities of the sport for both men and women. It is Sport Canada's objective, to support only one organization for each recognized sport.

Leadership Development

Sport Canada will strive to increase the involvement of women in technical and administrative leadership positions at the national level both as professionals and as volunteers, so as to integrate women into the sport system; and to ensure that women with the requisite skills and commitment are placed in positions to effect change for women in sport.

High Performance Competition

Sport Canada will strive to equalize the support and the opportunities for women and men to compete at the national and international levels. National sport organizations will be asked to ensure equal access to services such as coaching and travel support.

Major Games and national sport organisations will be encouraged to offer, where sufficient demand exists, the same type and number of events for women as for men.

Participation Development

Cooperatively with other agencies and other levels of government, Sport Canada will increase participation opportunities for women in all forms of competitive sport. To realize this objective, programs will be designed in order to improve both the quality and the quantity of participation opportunities.

Resource Allocation

Efforts will be made to ensure that financial resources are equitably allocated. In case where inequities are demonstrated, Sport Canada contributions will be made conditional on guarantees from national sport organizations that resources be more equitably distributed among males and females.

Liaison

Sport Canada will continue to exchange information and, where possible, coordinate activities with other agencies such as provincial/territorial ministries of sport. Networks will be established to improve communications on the status of women in sport.

Research

Sport Canada will support research initiatives that focus on the study of women's performance in sport. Research for the purposes of promoting and encouraging women's participation and leadership in sport will also be supported.

Education

Efforts will be directed to raising the level of awareness and understanding of the issues and needs facing women in sport. National sport organization leaders will be called on to play a significant role in positively changing the attitudes of their members with respect to participation of women in sport.

Promotion

Sport Canada will periodically publish materials, or make available other items such as films, relevant to the advancement of women in sport. In these promotional materials, role models appropriate to this advancement will be used.

Advocacy

Sport Canada will work with agencies and groups to identify and clarify issues facing women in sport, and will assist in activities within agencies or organizations that advocate on behalf of the needs of women in sport.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Sport Canada will monitor and evaluate, on an ongoing basis, the progress being made towards the goal of equality for women in sport. Mechanisms and procedures for measuring progress will be designed and implemented.