{"id":15538,"date":"2025-02-09T20:08:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T20:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/09\/b-c-basketball-provincials-moved-from-abbotsford-college-following-investigation-bc\/"},"modified":"2025-02-09T20:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T20:08:58","slug":"b-c-basketball-provincials-moved-from-abbotsford-college-following-investigation-bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/09\/b-c-basketball-provincials-moved-from-abbotsford-college-following-investigation-bc\/","title":{"rendered":"B.C. basketball provincials moved from Abbotsford college following investigation – BC"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) remains tight-lipped about its three-month long investigation into allegations of harassment and discrimination made by a transgender athlete from Vancouver Island University.<\/p>\n

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Now that the investigation has concluded, Abbotsford\u2019s Columbia Bible College (CBC) is no longer the host of the 2025 basketball provincials.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Vancouver Island University thanked PACWEST\u00a0 \u201cfor its diligence and commitment to upholding its standards, and we extend our gratitude to all those who supported this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The investigation was triggered by an incident that took place last year.<\/p>\n

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Hariette Mackenzie was playing in a two-day weekend basketball tournament in late October.<\/p>\n

Vancouver Island University (VIU) was playing Columbia Bible College on Oct. 26 when, in the third quarter, Mackenzie was grabbed by an opposing player and thrown to the ground.<\/p>\n

Mackenzie also alleges that Columbia\u2019s head coach cornered one of VIU\u2019s athletic staff after the Oct. 25 game and said Mackenzie should not be allowed to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cSadly, situations like these are nothing new to me,\u201d Mackenzie said in a video posted to Instagram after the games. \u201cThroughout my entire playing career, I\u2019ve been outed and attacked by everyone from players to coaches to fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mackenzie is a transgender athlete who plays for the Vancouver Island University Mariners.<\/p>\n

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She took to social media after the incident, telling her story of what happened.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey don\u2019t care that I began my transition in kindergarten, never having undergone a male puberty,\u201d Mackenzie said in her video.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t care that my testosterone levels are one-tenth that of a cis-woman due to the absence of reproductive organs placing me at a significant competitive disadvantage, they don\u2019t care. Instead, they\u2019re fuelled by their shared bigotry and ignorance.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the investigation, VIU refused to play a pair of regular season games against CBC in January.<\/p>\n

VIU formally requested an exemption from those games without penalty, given the ongoing investigation at the time and the sensitive nature of the situation.<\/p>\n