To further support our commitment to safe & positive tennis environments, Tennis Alberta and Tennis Canada have released information on our national Safeguarding Tennis initiative.
The Safeguarding Tennis initiative supports the Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) initiated and coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC). The goal is to create coach led, athlete focused, safe and fun sport environments for both players and coaches that reflect the values of excellence, professionalism, passion, service and integrity.
We all play a part in making sure that our sport provides safe and positive environments for participants to enjoy and prosper in tennis. Safeguarding Tennis helps coaches and organizations lead the way by recognizing the responsibility we all have in creating safe and respectful sport environments.
Unfortunately in Alberta, one negative trend that we are aware of revolves around the word “cheater”, with both players and parents referring to other players by this word.
This directly violates the integrity of our sport and is unethical behavior in our tennis environment.
Please note that Tennis Alberta regards these incidents as a serious violation of the Code of Conduct and, following the Rules of the Court (pg. 84), Officials will be instructed to deal with these situations with an immediate default and subsequent penalties following.
It is important to note that players, parents and coaches are expected to respect the integrity of sport AT ALL TIMES, regardless if they are playing or not.
If a player is concerned that his or her opponent is not following the Rules of the Court, they are urged to stop play and request for an Official to watch over their match.
Players cannot request Officials before a match has begun; only once the match is in play can a player stop play and request an official. Parents are prohibited from asking for an Official, as this is a violation of the Rules of the Court.
– Tennis Alberta