Acting to ensure a healthy and respectful athletic environment: INS Québec acts to protect athletes of all levels

Reaction from the Institut to the statements of the victims of Bertrand Charest 

MONTREAL, June 4, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Institut national du sport du Québec (INS Québec) would like to express its support to the victims of Bertrand Charest and deplores the serious impact of all forms of violence on athletes and the entire sport community. This situation is intolerable and cannot be justified in any way.

We would like to acknowledge the courage of Geneviève Simard, Gail Kelly, Anna Prchal and Amélie-Frédérique Gagnon and all of the athletes who are looking toward the future and asking that changes be made to the sport. Their gesture will help protect future generations of athletes in Quebec and Canada.

"The athletes and parents must have trust in sports and the safety it provides. Regardless of age, gender or the sport practised, safety and respect must, without exception, remain at the heart of our priorities. This must be understood and supported by all stakeholders in the sports world, from the beginner level to the high-performance level. It's essential for our society," points out Tom Quinn, President of INS Québec's Board of Directors.

The safety and integrity of athletes, coaches and all its employees are a constant concern; that is why, in June 2017, the Institut adopted its policy on respect of the individuals and harassment prevention in order to provide a healthy and respectful environment.

Supported by Sport'aide, the introduction of this policy is an act of civic responsibility that is meant to be proactive and preventive. Awareness activities and training for this new policy will continue over the next year and will be addressed to all people who use the INS Québec Complex.

The Institut wants to reaffirm its commitment to maintaining conditions that foster a healthy and respectful environment, as well as zero tolerance toward all forms of harassment and assault toward all of its members.

The world of Quebec sports has already taken a significant step with the creation of Sport'Aide, the website sportbienetre.ca and the significant support of the Government of Quebec in this matter. It is in this vein that the Institut invites Quebec's and Canada's sport communities, as well as their respective governments, to take concrete action such as the implementation of an educational program for their members to provide a respectful environment free of harassment and violence.

About the Institut national du sport du Québec | www.insquebec.org

The Institut national du sport du Québec is a "Catalyst of dreams—one athlete at a time" and acts as a key performance partner for high-performance sports in Quebec and Canada. With its network of eight regional multi-sport training centres, 17 single-sport training centres and its Complex at Olympic Park, which is home to nine high-performance training groups, INS Québec offers sports-medicine, sports science and personal development services to athletes on Canadian national teams training in Quebec, next-generation athletes, high-performance coaches and sports. A member of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, INS Québec serves more than 500 high-performance athletes, 2,000 next-generation athletes and the nearly 900 coaches who train them.

INS Québec receives support from the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur, Sport Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Foundation, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada, in addition to private partners such as CISCO, Bell, Mondo, Teknion | Roy & Breton, Côté Fleury, Inaxsys, B2dix and Sports Experts.

SOURCE Institut national du sport du Québec

Evelyne Déry, Communications Coordinator, INS Québec, 514-255-1000 ext. 243, 514-668-2968, [email protected]