Stopping Abuse in Sports The Future of Figure Skating

Episode Notes
What will it take to end the crisis of abuse in sports? This issue has been reverberating in the skating world, as more survivors have come forward with their stories, and the institutions charged with protecting athletes have largely failed to make the needed changes. Gymnasts for Change Canada advocates for eradicating maltreatment and misconduct in sport and is at the forefront of the campaign for a national inquiry into sport in Canada. Their sister organization, Figure Skaters for Change Canada, which is anonymous, has also published an open letter pushing Skate Canada to address specific cases of abuse, as well as making systemic changes.

My guests, Amelia Cline and Abby Spadafora, are board members of Gymnasts for Change Canada, and are themselves survivors of abuse during their careers in elite gymnastics. We discussed the pathways to making change in this seemingly intractable problem, and what fans of skating can do to support survivors.

You can follow their work at their website, https://www.gymnasts4changecanada.com/ and @Gym4ChangeCan

Amelia Cline is on Twitter at @ameliagrace1989 
Abby Spadafora is at @abbyspadafora 

You can also learn more about the sibling organization Figure Skaters for Change Canada at
@FSforchangeCan

Report by Global Athlete and Gym4ChangeCanada:
Canadian Safe Sport Think Tank Report

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