Dear Participant,

Background
In response to growing public awareness and prevalence studies of maltreatment in sport, there has been an emergence of legislative and organizational initiatives aimed at advancing Safe Sport. Despite these efforts, however, there is growing apprehension that such initiatives do not extend to, or consider, the unique safety needs of athletes, coaches, and sport administrators from equity-denied groups, including women, persons with disabilities, and individuals within the 2SLGBTQI+ and BIPOC communities. The exclusion of equity-denied participants’ voices in the development and advancement of Safe Sport initiatives challenges the ability to create safe, welcoming, and inclusive experiences for all and is deeply concerning when considering these individuals are at increased risk of experiencing various types of harm, including maltreatment and discrimination in sport.

Participant Criteria
To participate in this study, you must be:
1) A current high-performance (e.g., post-secondary, provincial, national, and/or professional) Canadian athlete or coach;
2) A current Canadian sport administrator with experience within the high-performance sport context; 
3) 18 years of age or older;
4) Identify as an individual from an equity-denied group (e.g., woman, person with a disability, 2SLGBTQI+, BIPOC).

Survey Participation
If you agree to participate you will be asked to complete a 20-minute anonymous online survey examining the barriers and facilitators to experiencing Safe Sport for equity-denied stakeholders. The survey is administered through Google Forms, which is a secure server. Consent to participate in the study will be assumed if you complete the survey. When you submit your survey responses you will also be given the opportunity to voluntarily decide if you want to participate in Phase 2 of the study, which involves participating in a focus group session. After submission of the survey the closing page will provide a link that when clicked, will direct you out of the survey to a separate form where you may voluntarily provide your name and email. Please note that your contact information will NOT be linked to your survey responses.

Participant Rights
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time without prejudice by closing your browser prior to submitting your final responses. Given the anonymous nature of the study, data cannot be withdraw following the submission of the final responses. If you choose to participate, your identity will remain completely anonymous (i.e., no personally identifying information, such as name, email address, phone number, or institution, will be collected or disclosed). All data will be stored using a certified-secure online provider, which will be accessible only to the research team. Any downloaded original data will be stored on a password protected computer in the research team’s offices for up to two years and then deleted. By consenting to participation, you are not waiving your right to legal recourse in the event of research-related harm.

Risks and Benefits
Your participation in this study is essential to foster safe and inclusive spaces for sport stakeholders across Canada. There are no real, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest associated with participation. There are no major risks associated with participating in this study; however, it is possible that you may become emotionally distressed or anxious reading through and/or responding to various survey questions. Further, participants who have been victimized may be reminded of their negative experiences, consequently eliciting feelings of sadness, fear, or worry. You may discontinue your involvement in the survey at any time by closing your browser. Your survey will be flagged as incomplete, and your responses will be eliminated from the analysis. For participants who experience emotional distress or discomfort while participating in this survey, a comprehensive list of mental health support services has been compiled and can be accessed here: Support Services. This list contains free sport-specific, provincial/territorial support services. Participants may also contact the Principal Investigator by email to inquire about additional supports.

Compensation
If you agree to participate and submit your survey responses, you will be given the option of providing your name and email information which will be entered into a random draw to win one of twenty $30 Visa cards. It is estimated that roughly 450 athletes, coaches, and sport administrators may participate in the study, and therefore the estimated probability of winning a draw prize is 4.44%. To maintain anonymity, the closing page will provide a link, that when clicked will direct you out of the survey to a separate form where you may provide your name and email information (i.e., your contact information will not be linked to your survey responses).

Funding
This study is funded by the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. For more information, please refer to “abuse-free sport” at https://abuse-free-sport.ca/.

Dissemination
The findings of the study will be disseminated via publication and across various scholarly and applied conferences. Further, an executive summary will be shared with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, who will make the findings of this study public.

This study has been reviewed by the Research Ethics Board of Ontario Tech University (File No. 17469). If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Joseph Gurgis (joseph.gurgis@ontariotechu.ca). For concerns regarding your rights as a research participant, please contact Ontario Tech University’s Research Ethics Office at researchethics@ontariotechu.ca.