OTTAWA— Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) is pleased to announce it has begun to implement key changes towards the organization’s governance structure that will help add more diversity to its decision-making process.

“WCL is very pleased to announce the changes we have made towards better governance,” said Tamara Medwidsky, WCL CEO. “This has been a thorough and lengthy process and we are confident that we have identified key change areas in our systems and structures. Ultimately, these changes will help us be a better organization, be better at decision-making and be more inclusive and representative of our wrestling community.

In the fall of 2022, WCL embarked on a governance review with support from the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) Return to Sport Funding with an intention to fill the gaps identified in Sport Canada’s Good Governance Report Card and accelerate changes to align with the Canadian Sport Governance Code.

WCL created a working group, which included Board of Directors (BOD) Kelly Rich (chair), Jess Tang, Bill Whiteway, and Medwidsky, to do the work with support from Benoit Girardin, of LBB Sport, a strategic sport advisor.

The key undertakings included: a review of the Sport Canada Report Card and identification of key priority areas for implementation; a WCL Bylaw review; and the development and implementation of a systematic BOD nomination and recruitment process that prioritizes a competency-based skillset and greater diversity.

Throughout the process, there were several consultations with the WCL BOD and Members that provided important feedback and direction for the working group. After identifying ways to improve those priorities, a Special Meeting of the Members was held on June 28, where the revisions to the Bylaws were approved. The revisions now include the foundational principles in the Canadian Sport Governance Code, including precise target requirements for diversity on boards of directors as well as parameters around board independence and term limits.

In addition, the BOD approved a new Nominations Policy and Nominations Committee Terms of Reference that will support and guide the new BOD recruitment process.

WCL recognizes there is more work to be done. The next steps will include activating and populating the Nominations Committee and providing clear guidance on the desired Board skill set.  Elections under the new bylaws are scheduled for the end of November 2023.