When I came in, in 2018, there was no mandate for safe sport.
I chose to do this. I chose to do this, because as much as I love sport.... I live sport. It's where I come from. It's where I get to twist and somersault through the air, and it's where I get to marvel at the talent, commitment and dedication of our athletes. But I also know a darker side, so I was determined that I would work on this.
It was not always easy. I was lucky to have someone from outside of government who was very committed to safe sport. When I went to Korea for the Olympics about two weeks after being appointed and I was asked what I wanted to do and I said, “safe sport”, from officials there was surprise. I sort of took us through it. We've had #MeToo. We've seen Larry Nassar. I'm a former gymnast. I know this world, but there was surprise and there was push-back.
As I said, there was also push-back from some corners of the sport community. I think, again, that this is why the inquiry really matters. We have to shine a light on the darkest recesses of the sport system if we're going to make change, and the only way to do this is through an inquiry.