Trudeau intervenes, via the leaders of the Federation- Corriere.it

The mass resignations, the withdrawal of sponsors, the warning of national politics, the denunciation of sexual violence that would have occurred from 1989 to today. The Canadian Hockey Federation, one of the most renowned and successful in the world, is now in danger of being overwhelmed by a scandal that could shake it from the ground up, with possible criminal proceedings and the need for radical reform, not to mention dissolution. Chief Executive Scott Smithwho spent almost 30 years climbing the hierarchy of the organization, resigned on Tuesday 11 October after only three months (his predecessor Michael Brind’Amour had resigned from his position in August), with the Board of Directors in turn resigning, following a a scandal that emerged thanks to a journalistic investigation.

Last May, the newspaper “Tsn” was the first to reveal the payment, through a secret agreement, to a woman who had reported being sexually assaulted by eight players, including some members of the junior national team, during a gala held in London (Canadian city in Ontario) in 2018. From this story it emerged that the victim would not be the first to be paid by the Federation to withdraw their complaint and cover the abuses. There was also a secret fund that the organization used to pay for its uninsured liabilities, including reports of violence. The situation worsened with the testimony of a Federation official, who last July told how the organization would pay $ 7.6 million for nine claims related to sexual abuse allegations dating back to 1989. Many of these to cover Graham James, a former youth hockey coach, already estranged from the environment. The members of the junior men’s team of 2003 are then investigated for another gang violence, for which the investigators are verifying the responsibility.

The Hockey Federation earthquake is shaking Canadian public opinion after constant calls from politics (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had threatened to dissolve the organization), also through what the “New York Times” defined as a real parliamentary investigation conducted by the House of Commons. Canadian Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge also welcomed the resignation of Smith and his board of directors. Then the case of the sponsors. Many brands in recent months had announced that they wanted to suspend their contracts with the Federation, non-random communications at this point. Also on Tuesday, as Smith announced his resignation, Bauera company famous for the production of sports equipment and supplier of the Canadian national team for years, has terminated contracts with the organization, followed by It and Chevrolet. Other companies, such as Nike, Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons, have been quick to announce investments in programs to promote women’s hockey, women’s rights and other under-represented communities.

These measures seem increasingly linked to the investigation into the violence, with the accusation of the aggravating circumstance of a hidden fund to cover it. Elements that suggest that the story will not end here, but that it will require an inevitable intervention of justicewith the involvement of many and the annihilation of the reputation of a highly esteemed sport in the North American continent, at least until now.