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Former swimmers class action lawsuit against Canadian federation


By AFP

09/03/2021 – 11:07 PM

Five former swimmers of the Canadian artistic swimming team presented on Tuesday a request for collective action against their federation, for psychological abuse, neglect and harassment, according to a document consulted by AFP.

This action was filed in the Superior Court of Quebec at the request of former swimmers Chloé Isaac, Gabrielle Boisvert, Erin Willson, Sion Ormond and Gabriella Brisson.

The athletes, who were between 17 and 24 years old when they were members of the federation, accuse several coaches and assistants of Artistic Swimming Canada. The events would have occurred as of 2010.

Gabrielle Boisvert, a member of the national team from 2015 to 2018, explained that she suffered “psychological abuse, psychological harassment, neglect as well,” in an interview with the public channel Radio-Canada.

“They made you feel like the worst swimmer, the worst person. They denigrated you. They made you feel like you were there by default, because there weren’t enough swimmers and not because of your talent,” Boisvert recalled.

In addition, the document highlights former coach Julie Sauvé, who died in 2020, “obsessed with the emergence of female swimmers who had to lose an excessive amount of weight to satisfy her twisted, unattainable and unhealthy ideal of the perfect fit as an artistic swimmer.”

In total, the ex-swimmers are asking for Canadian $ 250,000 in damages and other amounts to be determined in moral damages.

“I was deeply moved and saddened to hear the testimonies of the former athletes of the Artistic Swimming Canada team,” lamented Isabelle Charest, Minister of Education of Quebec and responsible for the Status of Women.

“It is unacceptable that passionate young women with a bright future have seen their sport become a negative part of their lives,” added Charest, a former Canadian Olympic three-time medalist in short track speed skating.

In response, Artistic Swimming Canada praised “the courage shown by former national team athletes to speak up.”

“Our organization recognized that there had been problems in the past,” said its director Jackie Buckingham, adding that the federation took action in the fall to correct the situation.

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