SAFE SPORT
MWPA believes that community sport needs to address the issue of child safety, specifically as it pertains to harassment and abuse. Coaches and parents/guardians need to work together to help keep our kids safe. Parents play a critical role in protecting children.
Understanding abuse and implementing strategies to prevent it, can help us build safe environments for your child and other children in the community.
Guiding Principles
Offering a safe environment to all our athletes and to all the various individuals who contribute to the Sport of water polo - whether they are coaches, officials, volunteers, staff, parents or only fans/spectators - is a priority for Water Polo Manitoba.
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All Participants are responsible for maintaining and enhancing the dignity and self-esteem of participants and other individuals by:
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Demonstrating respect to individuals regardless of body type, physical characteristics, athletic ability, age, ancestry, colour, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin, creed, disability, family status, marital status, socioeconomic status, gender identity, gender expression, sex, and sexual orientation
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Focusing comments or criticism appropriately and avoiding public criticism of athletes, coaches, officials, organizers, volunteers, employees, or Registrants
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Consistently demonstrating a spirit of sportsmanship, sport leadership, and ethical conduct
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Acting, when appropriate, to correct or prevent unjustly discriminatory practices
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Consistently treating individuals fairly and reasonably
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Ensuring adherence to the rules of Water Polo and the spirit of those rules
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Safe Sport also includes other components such as Insurance, Anti-Doping Program, and appropriate Concussion Protocol.
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Concussion Awareness
​Concussions can occur while participating in any sport or recreational activity. Since the circumstances under which a concussion can be sustained are so varied, it’s important for all coaches, parents, and athletes to be aware of the signs, symptoms, and what to do if a concussion is suspected.
The MWPA is committed to increased education, awareness, and established protocols that will assist you in gaining the knowledge and skills required ensuring the safety of your athletes. We can all work together to ensure a safe sport environment.
Safe Sport Tips for Athletes and Coaches
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The first step toward creating a safer sport environment is equipping all sport communities with the knowledge of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in sport.
Learn what behaviour is OK and what behaviour is not OK
in these one-page guides for athletes and coaches.
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The Protecting Youth in Sport Act is currently before the legislative assembly.
As part of the Bill:
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Sport Manitoba must establish a set of safe sport policies that lays out behavioural expectations. Each provincial sports organization must adopt and implement the safe sport policies.
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Sport Manitoba must prepare and approve age-appropriate educational information for young athletes, as well as for their parents. Each PSO must make the information available to their youth athletes participating in their sport and their parents.
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Sport Manitoba must prepare or approve courses for coaches that provide training on prevention of maltreatment and how to report maltreatment.
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Sport Manitoba must appoint an independent entity to adjudicate maltreatment complaints. Sport Manitoba has signed a two year contract with ITP Sport & Recreation to act as Manitoba’s Independent Complaint Mechanism for Safe Sport.
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