Message from Jeremy Luke, CEO
The CCES is pleased to share some highlights from the second half of the fiscal year that have contributed to our vision of fair, safe, accessible, and inclusive sport. We continue to focus our efforts on four main priority areas consistent with our 2022-27 Strategic Plan: ensuring athletes are protected from the threat of doping through the implementation of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP); developing rules and educational tools to mitigate the growing risk of competition manipulation associated with the legalization of single-event sport betting; promoting positive sport cultures as the network leader of True Sport; and examining ethical issues facing national level sport in Canada.
Each of these priority areas makes a unique contribution to ensuring integrity in our sport system. We’re always grateful for Sport Canada’s ongoing support of this mandate and their confidence in the CCES.
You may have seen the news that as of April 2025 the CCES will take on the administration of Canada’s safe sport program. Given the CCES’s existing broad mandate and its current operating structures and systems, it makes logical and economic sense to evolve and modernize the CCES so that it can effectively address safe sport along with doping and competition manipulation in Canada. This will be a huge undertaking for our organization and the change requires us to update our governance and operations to reflect this broadened mandate. Over the next few months, we’ll be looking for feedback from the Canadian sport community as we develop plans to undertake the administration of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS), and we encourage you to participate in consultation opportunities as they arise.
We hope you’re enjoying our new Progress Report format as we aim to provide you with timely updates on progress against our objectives and milestones worth celebrating. If you ever have suggestions on how we can improve our work, or bring additional value to your initiatives, we’d be happy to hear from you.
Anti-Doping
The CCES is proud to be Canada’s national anti-doping organization and to administer the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP), which is fully compliant with all of the requirements flowing from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). We continue to be recognized as a world leader in anti-doping, both through the quality of our national efforts and our contributions to the international landscape. The CCES takes an athlete-centred approach that provides athletes and support personnel with the tools and resources to embrace and prioritize clean sport and gives them confidence that they are competing on a level playing field both at home and abroad.
We have collected 3,693 tests under the CADP in 2023-2024, which met our objectives for the fiscal year.
Sanctions were announced for 21 anti-doping rule violations in 2023-2024, many of which included anabolic agents and stimulants.
Testing at international events held in Canada:
| Event | Month | Location |
|---|---|---|
| ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating | October | Montreal, QC |
| FIL Eberspächer Luge World Cup | December | Whistler, BC |
| ISU World Speed Skating Championships | February | Calgary, AB |
| Vancouver Rugby Sevens | February | Vancouver, BC |
| 2024 Para Nordic World Cup Finals | March | Prince George, BC |
| 2024 BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup #9 | March | Canmore, AB |
Program Development
CADP Adoptions
The CADP has been adopted by 73 sport organizations, and 15 organizations without members have signed on to the CADP covenant. CCES staff meet annually with national sport organizations (NSOs) to update on the program and seek feedback; this year we met with 96% of NSOs.
Dried Blood Spot Planning
Doping Control Officers (DCOs) will begin collecting dried blood spot (DBS) samples in the coming year. Now that a DBS collection device is approved for use in Canada, we are drafting procedures to include DBS samples as a pilot program within the 2024-2025 test distribution plan.
DCO Recruitment
We hired and trained four new DCOs to fill needs in Vancouver and Squamish, BC; Canmore, AB; and Toronto, ON. We now have 67 certified DCOs across the country collecting samples from our national athlete pool.
WADA-Certified Laboratory
The INRS Doping Control Laboratory in Montreal continues to provide doping control analysis, expert advice, research and consultation, and acts as the Athlete Passport Management Unit (APMU) for the CCES. We are in the final year of a three-year agreement.
Major Games Preparations
- In the lead-up to the 2023 Pan and Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, we met our pre-games goals: 100% of Pan Am athletes and 100% of high-risk Parapan Am athletes were tested. Athletes had access to web resources and online learning.
- Testing objectives were met for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. A risk-based percentage of testing was applied and nominated athletes tested at least once prior to the Games. Again, a games-specific web resource for athletes and caregivers was available.
- Pre-Games initiatives are underway for the upcoming 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France including pre-Games testing and education. For the first time, both anti-doping and competition manipulation education will be mandatory for all Olympic athletes.
International Collaboration
We’ve been engaged in global initiatives that strengthen anti-doping efforts domestically and on a global scale, such as the ongoing World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) consultations for which we submitted feedback on the initial Concept Papers to WADA in December 2023. As we progress through the two-year consultation cycle for the next version of the Code and International Standards, the CCES will continue to connect with the sport community for ideas to improve and strengthen the documents that harmonize anti-doping programs around the world. Once the Code is finalized, we’ll begin the process of consulting on and updating the Canadian Anti-Doping Program.
CCES staff presented at several international events to help raise the bar for anti-doping around the world:
WADA’s Global Education Conference in Cannes, France (above)
WADA’s Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (ADIIN) group
WADA’s Annual Symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland (above)
Third WADA Forum with Ministers responsible for sport in the Caribbean region
Education and Athlete Services
The CCES provides athletes and support personnel with a variety of resources to ensure they understand their anti-doping requirements and commitment to clean sport.
The 2024 True Sport Clean series launched with notable updates including True Sport Clean: Accessible, a version specifically developed for visually impaired athletes using screen readers. Other updates included significant accessibility improvements to the True Sport Clean Review course and the Sport Canada – Athlete Assistance Program module, as well as the Profile module that is completed by all learners.
More than 80,900 e-learning certificates were issued across all courses in 2023-2024. More than 45,000 learners completed a course in the 2023 True Sport Clean series.
Nine in-person presentations and one webinar were delivered to a range of audiences, including next generation athletes, kinesiology classes, and professional associations.
Global DRO substance inquiries from Canadian athletes totaled 126,365, with over one million searches globally.
TUE applications: 131 received, 44 processed, and 43 granted.
Competition Manipulation
The risk of competition manipulation continues to rear its head as a threat to sport integrity. Monitoring of the regulated sport gambling market has recently exposed several instances of suspicious betting activity; the CCES and its partners continue to lead a national response. We’ve made substantial progress this year, publishing new resources and connecting with our peers – both nationally and internationally.
There has been substantial media interest in this topic and the CCES is sought after as a leading voice on the intersection between competition manipulation and sport gambling. Jeremy Luke, CCES president and CEO, has done many interviews, including The Current – a national show on CBC Radio.
Symposium Follow-Up: New White Paper Released
The CCES and McLaren Global Sport Solutions (MGSS) released a white paper that builds on expert perspectives and experiences shared during two international symposiums hosted in Toronto, Canada. The white paper, titled Competition Manipulation and Gambling: Threats to Canadian Sport, provides a summary of the 2023 international symposium on the topic, outlines five key recommendations to mitigate the risks of competition manipulation, and describes recent changes in the Canadian sport gambling landscape.
International Advocacy
Canada is an observer to the Macolin Convention, a multilateral treaty that aims to prevent, detect, and punish match fixing in sport. As an observer, we have the opportunity to learn from the best practices and resources of the Macolin community. The CCES is also an active participant at the Group of Copenhagen (the network of national platforms), through which we continue to serve on the working group that develops best practices for the monitoring of sport competitions for competition manipulation.
Partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the CCES extended their partnership to advance a joint mission to protect the integrity of sport and prevent competition manipulation in Canada and internationally. There have been two outcomes:
The CCES updated the Understanding Competition Manipulation e-learning course to include the latest changes from the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competition. The course was available to all athletes and support personnel participating in the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in January 2024 and is now mandatory for members of Team Canada for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Lifetime completions of Understanding Competition Manipulation: 34,500.
This 15-minute interactive course provides learners with an overview of competition manipulation, the risks involved, and how to prevent it.
A working group consisting of NSOs, MSOs, athletes, and government developed the Canadian Policy to Prevent Competition Manipulation (CPPCM), a harmonized national program to address the issue of competition manipulation. This approach was recommended by our previous consultation with experts and stakeholders, including at the 2023 symposium.
The first draft was published for consultation on April 17, 2024 with the goal of releasing it for adoption by NSOs and MSOs in the coming months.
The CPPCM will be supported by a comprehensive multi-modal education program that includes awareness-raising materials, practical information, and online and in-person education so that everyone who is subject to the rules is equipped to navigate the program.
Education
In partnership with the Canadian Football League (CFL), the CCES ensured that all CFL Combine participants completed competition manipulation education on the CFL policy, amounting to more than 150 athletes.
Got info or intel? Call the CCES Integrity Hotline
Protecting clean and fair sport is a collective responsibility. The CCES Integrity Hotline provides Canadians with a secure and anonymous means to report suspected doping and competition manipulation, both of which are major threats to good sport.
True Sport
Building positive sport cultures is essential to the long-term prevention of sport integrity issues such as doping, competition manipulation, and maltreatment. As the network leader for values-based sport, the CCES continues to engage with the sport community to activate True Sport. We’re providing members with the tools and resources they need to live True Sport through a wide variety of initiatives, including in-person outreach, community engagement, and activation workshops.
Since the previous report, we’ve been out discussing True Sport with sport community colleagues at events such as the annual Sport Leadership Conference, the University of Ottawa Safe Sport Event, the SCRI Conference, PHE Canada Healthy Schools National Forum, the 2024 Sport for Life Summit, and the Ottawa Sport Summit.
We’ve also had a great time meeting athletes and support personnel at outreach opportunities including Skate New Brunswick’s Winter Invitational, Nova Scotia Curling Jamboree, and Sports Day the Girls Way, presented by Ottawa Sport and Entertainment Foundation.
Activation
The Hope on the Horizon Tour brought four more True Sport Activation Workshops to sport leaders in Nunavut, Yukon, and New Brunswick, where there were two events. Sport leaders at each stop made notable commitments to activating True Sport as the approach to values-based sport - 64 commitments in all. Stops in three more cities were announced for spring 2024.
Partners at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics at the University of Guelph will evaluate the knowledge transfer and impact of the tour as it relates to True Sport interest and engagement thanks to a Mitacs research grant.
True Sport and schools are a natural fit - sharing goals for personal growth and positive learning environments.
To harness the benefits of the True Sport Principles, 16 Ontario University Athletics schools have committed to True Sport and are proudly displaying banners that also promote the Responsible Coaching Movement.
In addition, all 39 schools in the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario have declared their commitment to True Sport.
The third round of the Nova Scotia True Sport Athlete Ambassador program launched in early 2024. The program was featured in the March edition of Sport Nova Scotia’s Sport Quarterly.
“I feel this program allows us to add so much value to our club to balance out and remind families that sport goes so far beyond the time on the field of play,” said one Support4Sport VIP coach about program.
In February, the annual True Sport Champions summit took place virtually, providing Champions from across Canada the opportunity to share best practices and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.
A group of 32 engaged Champions heard from two industry experts on the impact of inclusion and enabling purpose.
True Sport Champions are a diverse group of Canadians who promote the True Sport Principles in their communities.
“Reflecting on the True Sport Champions Summit, I am inspired by the unity and dedication of Champions nationwide. I appreciated the opportunity to connect with fellow sport professionals as we all share the mindset that sport is a conduit for empowerment and inclusivity. I was reminded of the importance of a “people-first” mentality, ensuring every individual finds their place within our sporting community. Together, through dialogue and action, we cultivate a safe, courageous, and inclusive environment.”
Hailey Jones, True Sport Champion
Events
The CCES celebrated the first-ever True Sport Week from February 12-18. This initiative highlighted a different True Sport principle every day, using social media to communicate with participants across Canada.
True Sport Week in numbers:
662 social media posts used #TrueSportWeek and/or #SemaineSportPur
127 new True Sport social media followers
104 participants (33 individuals and 71 groups)
6 NSOs participated
18% increase in visits to the True Sport website
True Sport events intentionally embed good sport into the culture through oaths, awards, promotion, outreach, and contests.
Recent events include:
Skate New Brunswick Winter Invitational & Fun Skate
Nova Scotia Curl U13 Jamboree
Hosting a tournament, meet, or championship? Declare it a True Sport event to showcase your commitment to values-based sport.
Tools and Resources
We published an updated version of The True Sport Experience – Volume 1: FUNdamentals. Each True Sport principle is now linked to primary learning objectives to help educators intentionally bring them to life in their classrooms through age- and stage-appropriate activities that support both ethical and physical literacy. Volume 2 (Learn to Train) and Volume 3 (Train to Train) will be available shortly.
The Ottawa Sport Council added True Sport resources to The Belonging Playbook. This resource was developed to help community sport organizations remove barriers to access to foster more welcoming and inclusive environments.
Ethical Sport Engagement
Sport is often a reflection of society, presenting new ethical challenges that require innovative, modern solutions. In an effort to help organizations be prepared to deal with new and old challenges, the CCES partners with organizations that can develop solutions for common risks, and capacity for dealing with other issues as they arise. We continue to focus on developing governance capacity, risk management, and safe sport.
The CCES responded to 19 ethical enquiries from October 2023 to March 2024.
The CCES and the Coaching Association of Canada continued to activate the Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) to help coaches and sport organizations learn about and apply consistent safety principles.
We contribute to quarterly newsletters and regular webinars to deliver this important messaging. The CCES applies a True Sport lens to this partnership to encourage coaches to adopt a values-based to sport and to activate the True Sport Principles.
To find out how you can get involved in this movement to make sport Safe, Smart and Secure for all, visit the CAC website.
Five sport organizations completed the Risk Management Workshop during this period. Participants benefitted from discussions about how to manage organizational risks that hinder corporate operations and jeopardize athlete resources.
One participant said, “This workshop was an extremely beneficial exercise of working through the process specific to our organization. Encouraged a great deal of discussion, perspectives, and tolerances to risk.”
Participants in 2023-2024:
Speed Skating Canada
Swimming Canada
Hockey Canada
Speed Skating Ontario
CCES
Twelve sport leaders from across Canada participated in the annual Management by Values workshop. This two-part virtual event delivers information about the principles and processes of Management by Values, shared learning through peer-to-peer success stories and built a roadmap to activate the True Sport Principles within their organization’s culture.
A management by values approach helps organizations integrate values-based decision-making into their culture and advance their risk management efforts.