Procedure for Fairness and Safety in Sport
– September 1, 2025
Page 1 of 5
PROCEDURE FOR FAIRNESS AND SAFETY IN
SPORT
Procedure
Type:
Management
Initially
Approved:
September
1, 2025
Procedure
Sponsor:
Vice-President,
Students
Last Revised:
Primary
Contact:
Director, Cougars
Athletics and
Recreation
Review
Scheduled:
September
1, 2026
Approver:
Deans Council
A.
SCOPE
These procedures apply to participants in Female-Only Sports Leagues, Classes and Divisions of
Amateur Competitive Sports as outlined in the legislation. For clarity, this policy does not apply to:
a. Participants in any University Intramural Sports Leagues, Classes and Divisions;
b. Participants in Student Association of Mount Royal University (SAMRU) Sports
Clubs;
c. Participants in any Male-Only or Mixed Gender Sports Leagues, Classes and
Divisions.
A.
PROCEDURES
1.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT
1.1
Eligibility of an Athlete to participate in a Female-Only Sports Leagues, Classes and
Divisions is restricted to participants whose Sex at Birth is female.
1.2
At the time of registration, Athletes in Female-Only Sports Leagues, Classes and
Divisions must provide written confirmation of the following:
a. They understand the above eligibility requirement; and
b. They meet the above eligibility requirement.
2.
CHALLENGE TO THE ELIGIBILITY OF AN ATHLETE
2.1
A challenge may only be submitted by:
a. An Athlete from the same Amateur Competitive Sports team at the University as
the Athlete whose eligibility is being challenged;
b. The Director of Cougars Athletics & Recreation; or
c. The Associate Director, Varsity.
2.2
All challenges must:
a. Be submitted in writing to Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or
designate.
b. Identify the name of the individual who is submitting the challenge (the
“Applicant”) and their standing to bring the challenge as outlined in 2.1 of this
Policy.
c. Identify the name of the Affected Athlete, the name of the Female-Only Sports
Leagues, Classes or Divisions the Affected Athlete participates in; and,
Procedure for Fairness and Safety in Sport
– September 1, 2025
Page 2 of 5
d. Provide the basis (including relevant information and evidence) on which they
believe that the Affected Athlete does not meet the eligibility requirement outlined
in this policy.
2.3
Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate will assess the Challenge.
In conducting this assessment, Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or
designate may make further inquiries and / or request further documents from the
Applicant to get clarification about the information and evidence provided in the
Challenge. Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate will not reach out
to the Affected Athlete or other staff or members of their team in conducting the
assessment.
2.4
A challenge will be dismissed when there are no reasonable grounds for the
challenge based on the information and evidence provided by the Applicant. In
determining whether there are reasonable grounds for the challenge, the
considerations may include, but are not limited to:
a. The information and evidence provided by the Applicant;
b. Any prior challenge(s) for the same Affected Athlete; and
c. Any prior challenge(s) made by the same Applicant.
2.5
Within 10 days of receipt of the challenge, Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management
or designate will either:
a. dismiss the challenge; or
b. direct the Affected Athlete to provide the University with a copy of the Affected
Athlete’s Birth Registration Document as set out in section 3.
2.6
Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate will communicate the
outcome of their assessment to the Applicant.
2.7
The Affected Athlete is permitted to continue to compete in the Female-Only Sports
Leagues, Classes and Divisions until a determination that they are ineligible under
section 3.5 has been made.
3.
VALIDATION OF BIRTH REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS
3.1
Within 10 days of receipt of the Affected Athlete’s Birth Registration Document, the
Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate will verify if the Birth
Registration Document indicates Sex at Birth is female and determine whether the
Affected Athlete meets the eligibility requirement outlined in this Policy.
3.2
Failure to participate in good faith in the eligibility confirmation process may result in
an Affected Athlete being found ineligible to participate in any Female-Only Sports
Leagues, Classes and Divisions.
3.3
Should an Affected Athlete refuse to participate in the eligibility confirmation process
or is unable to produce a Birth Registration Document, they will be found to not meet
the eligibility requirement outlined in this Policy. However, should they produce a
Birth Registration Document at a later date and the document is verified by Registrar
& AVP, Enrolment Management or designate under the terms of this Policy, the
Affected Athlete's eligibility may be reinstated.
3.4
An Affected Athlete found to meet the eligibility requirement outlined in this Policy
will be eligible and able to participate in any Female-Only Sports Leagues, Classes
and Divisions and will not be subject to further challenges under this Policy.
Procedure for Fairness and Safety in Sport
– September 1, 2025
Page 3 of 5
3.5
An Affected Athlete found to not to meet the eligibility requirement outlined in this
Policy will be prohibited from participating in any Female-Only Sports Leagues,
Classes and Divisions.
3.6
Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate will communicate the
decision of eligibility to the Affected Athlete.
4. RECONSIDERATION OF A DISMISSED CHALLENGE
4.1
A decision to dismiss a challenge under section 2.5 of this Policy, may be
reconsidered only where the Applicant provides new information or evidence that
was not available at the time of the original challenge and that, in the opinion of
Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate, meets reasonable grounds
to believe that the Affected Athlete does not meet the eligibility requirement outlined
in this policy.
4.2
All requests for reconsideration must:
a. Be submitted in writing by the original Applicant to Registrar & AVP, Enrolment
Management or designate;
b. Clearly identify the original challenge and the date of its dismissal; and
c. Include a detailed explanation of the new information or evidence and why it is
relevant to the determination of the
Athlete’s eligibility.
4.3
Within 10 days of receipt, a request for reconsideration will be reviewed by the
Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate to determine whether it
meets the threshold for reconsideration:
a. If the threshold is not met (e.g., the information is not new or does not meet
reasonable grounds), Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate
may deny the request and will communicate the outcome of the reconsideration
to the Applicant.
b. If the threshold is met, the Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or
designate may reopen the challenge and proceed with a validation of the
Affected Athlete’s eligibility as set out under section 2.5(b) and section 3 of this
Policy.
.
5. SANCTIONS FOR BAD FAITH CHALLENGES
5.1
Where a challenge or reconsideration request is determined to have been submitted
in bad faith, Registrar & AVP, Enrolment Management or designate may impose
sanctions on the Applicant, which may include but is not limited to:
a. Conditions or restrictions to future participation or access to Sports Leagues,
Classes and Divisions;
b. Proceedings under any other applicable University Policy, including Code of
Student Community Standards Policy.
6. RECORDS AND REPORTING
5.1
The privacy and confidentiality of those involved in a challenge to eligibility
requirements under this Policy will be maintained. Information and data collected to
make a determination of eligibility will be disclosed only as set out in this Policy and
will be used for n
o other purpose than to determine an Athlete’s eligibility under this
Policy.
5.2
Records pertaining to the challenge and the decision will be maintained in
compliance with the University’s Records and Information Management Policy and
Procedure for Fairness and Safety in Sport
– September 1, 2025
Page 4 of 5
the Access to Information Act and the Protection of Privacy Act. The University will
not maintain a record of the Affected Athlete’s Birth Registration Document.
5.3
University will report to the government as required under the
Fairness and Safety
in Sport Act
and the
Fairness and Safety in Sport Regulation
.
B.
DEFINITIONS
(1)
Affected Athlete:
means an Athlete whose eligibility to participate has been
challenged under this policy.
(2)
Athlete:
means a participant registered to a sports team participating in
a league, class or division.
in instances where an Athlete is under 18 years of age, a
parent or guardian may act with the same authority of an
Athlete as outlined in this policy.
(3)
Applicant:
means the Athlete submitting a challenge under this Policy.
(4)
Birth Registration
Document:
means a birth registration document as defined in the Vital
Statistics Act or a similar document issued outside of Alberta
that contains the following information respecting an Athlete:
(a) full name of the Athlete; (b) date and place where the birth
of the Athlete occurred; and (c) the sex of the Athlete.
(5)
Board:
means the Board of Governors of Mount Royal University.
(6)
Competitive
Amateur Sport:
means a sport or sport discipline within a league, class or
division where an Athlete’s primary focus for participation is on
development, such as providing competitive experience, skill
improvement, and opportunities for active participation; and an
Athlete seeks personal or team excellence, measures
performance against others and/or seeks opportunities for
advancement.
current competitive amateur sports will be set out in Appendix
A and updated by the University from time to time.
(7)
Female-Only Sports
League, Class or
Division
means a sport league, class, or division intended to consist
entirely of individuals whose sex at birth is female and which is
for participation by individuals 12 years of age or older.
(8)
Intramural Sports
Leagues, Classes
and Divisions
means any sport governed, regulated, coordinated, promoted
or sponsored by the University, regardless of whether it is
referred to as competitive or recreational, where the teams
compete only against other teams from the University.
(9)
Male-Only Sports
League, Class or
Division
means a sport league, class, or division intended to consist
entirely of individuals whose sex at birth is male and which is
for participation by individuals 12 years of age or older.
Procedure for Fairness and Safety in Sport
– September 1, 2025
Page 5 of 5
(10)
Mixed Gender
Sports Leagues,
Classes and
Divisions
means a sport league, class, or division intended to consist of
individuals whose sex at birth is male or female and which is
for participation by individuals 12 years of age or older.
(11)
Sex at Birth
means the sex of an individual that appears on an individual’s
birth registration document.
(12)
Policy:
means the Fairness and Safety in Sport Policy
(13)
University:
means Mount Royal University
C.
RELATED POLICIES
• Fairness and Safety in Sport Policy
• Code of Student Community Standard
D.
RELATED LEGISLATION
● Alberta Fairness and Safety in Sport Act
● Alberta Fairness and Safety in Sport Regulation
● Alberta Vital Statistics Act
E.
REVISION HISTORY
Date
(mm/dd/yyyy)
Description of
Change
Sections
Person who
Entered Revision
(Position Title)
Person who
Authorized
Revision
(Position Title)
08/21/2025
NEW
Governance and
Nominating
Committee of the
Board of Governors