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Author: Alan Hudes

Speaker lineup unveiled for 2023 AthletesCAN Forum and 46th Canadian Sport Awards

Posted on by Alan Hudes

TORONTO / VANCOUVER – AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is pleased to announce its lineup of speakers for the upcoming 2023 AthletesCAN Forum and 46th Canadian Sport Awards in Vancouver.

Kicking off the first in-person AthletesCAN Forum weekend since 2019, veteran CBC Sports host Scott Russell will helm this year’s celebration of trailblazers, athlete-centred accomplishments and initiatives – as the Canadian Sport Awards take place on the evening of Friday, Sept. 8, with five notable winners recognized at the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel in Richmond, B.C.

Saturday’s festivities will begin with a panel entitled Reshaping Governance in the Modern Era, featuring:

  • Chris de Sousa Costa – AthletesCAN Board Member, Karate
  • Amanda Fowler – Founder, Amanda Fowler Sports Law; Supervising Lawyer, Sport Solution Clinic
  • Dasha Peregoudova – Former AthletesCAN President, Taekwondo; Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP
  • Josh Vander Vies – Paralympian / Former AthletesCAN President, Boccia; Versus Law Corporation

Following the panel, Queen’s University adjunct assistant professor Shai Dubey of the Smith School of Business – the Official National Business Education partner of the Canadian Olympic Committee and a founding partner of Game Plan, Canada’s Total Athlete Wellness Program, helping athletes plan for success beyond sport – will lead an engagement session focusing on bridging the gap between athletes and National Sport Organizations entitled Personalizing Your Journey.

In addition to this distinguished lineup of speakers, the 2023 AthletesCAN Forum will also include key athlete-centred roundtables and workshops exclusively for Athlete Representatives and Directors – with the ultimate goal of strengthening alignment across the Canadian Sport System, following significant reforms announced in May aimed at improving governance, transparency and accountability. The event is made possible in part by the generous contribution of Richmond Sport Hosting.

Nominees for each of the Canadian Sport Awards will also be released over the coming days.

Following Forum, a national digital campaign in partnership with CBC Sports along with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees for the People’s Choice Award for Most Trending Moment of the Year will take place in December, after the conclusion of the 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

Further details surrounding the 2023 AthletesCAN Annual General Meeting and Board Election, slated for the fall, will be announced at a later date.

Speaker Bios

About the AthletesCAN Forum

The annual AthletesCAN Forum is the largest and most inclusive gathering of Canada’s national team athlete leaders outside of competition. It brings together Canada’s high-performance athletes and sport leaders to learn about the sport system, develop leadership skills, share ideas and network through interactive workshops, seminars and presentations. 

About the Canadian Sport Awards

The Canadian Sport Awards were established in 1972 by modern day co-founders True Sport, Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sport, Canada Games Council, Commonwealth Sport Canada, and AthletesCAN to recognize and showcase excellence in Canadian sport. Since then, the CSA evolved over time to become the premier recognition event for national sporting excellence. After the 40th anniversary, the awards experienced a five-year hiatus. In 2017, AthletesCAN successfully acquired the rights to revive this staple event to once again bring together members of the sport community to honour the spirit, drive, and commitment of Canada’s international level athletes, coaches, volunteers, and sport leaders.

About AthletesCAN

AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world.  As the voice of over 6,000 current and recently retired Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN membership spans 68 sports across the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan/Parapan American, and Commonwealth Games, and those currently funded by Sport Canada competing at Senior World Championships. AthletesCAN ensures an athlete-centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture, through educational resources, support, training and professional development.  

Follow us on social @AthletesCAN and Join #TheCollective today.

For more information, please contact:

Alan Hudes
Manager, Communications and Sport Partnerships
AthletesCAN
613-526-4025 Ext. 224
[email protected]

Call for Expressions of Interest: COC Athletes’ Commission

Posted on by Alan Hudes

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) Athletes’ Commission is looking for a dedicated, engaged athlete who would be interested in joining our Commission as an appointed member beginning in October 2023.

The Athletes’ Commission represents the voice of athletes to the Canadian Olympic Committee including the COC Board of Directors and is instrumental in presenting the Canadian athletes’ perspectives on policy and program decisions, such as Olympic Team selection, athlete funding
and other matters concerning high performance sport in Canada. Composed of active and retired athletes, the Athletes’ Commission forms various subcommittees that work in liaison with the committees of the COC to ensure that the athletes’ point of views and needs are considered.

Eligible applicants must have competed at a Summer, Winter Olympic Games or Pan American Games within the last eight (8) years. Applications will close on September 1, at 7 p.m. EDT.

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Position Description
Application Form

Call for Applications: SDRCC Athlete Advisory Committee

Posted on by Alan Hudes

The SDRCC is currently seeking to fill up to seven (7) positions on the Athlete Advisory Committee and is calling for active or retired high-performance athletes with expertise in sport, safe sport, legal and/or regulatory issues. The Committee, of which the terms of reference are appended, must reflect the broad diversity of the Canadian sport community with respect to discipline (individual/team sports, winter/summer sports, para/non-para sports), activity status (retired/active athletes), gender, ethnicity and other intersectionality factors. Committee members’ first mandates will expire on March 31, 2024, with an option to seek a renewal annually. The maximum number of consecutive mandates is four (4). Committee members are not remunerated for their participation.

Selection Process

The SDRCC Board, AthletesCAN, the Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission and the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s Athletes’ Council have each been invited to designate two (2) members to the Committee. Those members select up to seven (7) more members to complete the composition of the Committee from a call for applications. The current Committee members will select the new members from the pool of applicants. 

Required Information

Candidates must apply using the Athlete Advisory Committee Application Form, which includes a section to submit a point form biography setting out their background and relevant experience in no more than 500 words, and a text of a maximum of 250 words stating their motivations to be part of the Athlete Advisory Committee. Applications must be received by the SDRCC no later than 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on September 18, 2023 and include all the information required. Incomplete applications will not be considered. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that their application is received.

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Application Form

Statement on Federal Government Cabinet Appointments

Posted on by Alan Hudes

TORONTO – AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, released the following statement Wednesday regarding the promotion of The Honourable Pascale St-Onge to Minister of Heritage and the appointment of The Honourable Carla Qualtrough as Minister of Sport and Physical Activity.

“On behalf of Canada’s national team athletes, we congratulate Minister St-Onge on her cabinet promotion and thank her for all she has done to help us build a strong, athlete-centred sport system. Her steadfast support of athlete voices to create a more transparent, accountable and safe sport experience has been deeply appreciated, and we look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role as Minister of Heritage.

We also welcome Minister Qualtrough as Minister of Sport and Physical Activity. As a Canadian sport leader that proudly served as Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities from 2015-17, and has experience as both a Paralympian, and former President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, we know she has a strong understanding of the important issues facing Canadian sport today. We look forward to renewing our relationship with her and working together to build a stronger, safer sport system for all.”

About AthletesCAN

AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world.  As the voice of over 6,000 current and recently retired Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN membership spans 68 sports across the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan/Parapan American, and Commonwealth Games, and those currently funded by Sport Canada competing at Senior World Championships.

AthletesCAN ensures an athlete-centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture, through educational resources, support, training and professional development.  

Follow us on social @AthletesCAN and Join #TheCollective today.

For more information, please contact:

Alan Hudes
Manager, Communications and Sport Partnerships
AthletesCAN
613-526-4025 Ext. 224
[email protected]

Board Member Neville Wright: Training and preparation helped me succeed as an Olympian — and in my life after sport

Posted on by Alan Hudes

This First Person article is the experience of Neville Wright, a former Olympian based in Edmonton. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

I got the email in 2022. I was going to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Not as a spectator. And despite being a three-time Olympian, I wasn’t going as an athlete either. 

I would be a member of the staff, supporting the men’s national team for Canada Soccer as a performance recovery therapist and sprint consultant. 

Being part of such a high-performing team was everything I could have asked for. 

It was motivating. It was inspiring. It was a feeling only matched by the moment, 12 years earlier, when I heard the announcement that I had been named to my first Olympic bobsleigh team. I knew it was most likely happening, but I needed that confirmation to make it real.

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Own The Podium welcomes first Athlete Directors to Board

Posted on by Alan Hudes

A change to Own the Podium’s governance structure now includes two new Director positions that bring the perspective of high performance athletes. One position will be for an athlete who has recently competed for Canada in the Olympic Games and one for an athlete who has recently competed for Canada in the Paralympic Games. Both Directors will be serve an initial two-year term on the Board as recently retired athletes. 

Andrew Poje, a two-time Olympic figure skater (2018, 2014), and a three-time World Championship medallist, will serve his first, two-year term along with Jeremy Hall, who represented Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in rowing.

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Quartet of National Sport Organizations welcome new Athlete Directors

Posted on by Alan Hudes

A quartet of National Sport Organizations welcomed new Athlete Directors. The list includes former national team speed skater Alyson Charles, current karate athlete Hana Furumoto-Deshaies, retired para triathlete Sasha Beck and ex-Team Canada luger Makena Hodgson.  

Charles was one of Canada’s most consistent female skaters since breaking onto the international scene during the 2018-2019 season. A native of Montreal, she captured an impressive 22 medals in only four years on the international circuit, culminating with an appearance at Beijing 2022, where she finished 4th in the 3000m relay, 8th in the 500m and 20th in the 1000m. An advocate for representation and diversity with the sport, Charles retired from the National Program in 2022 and has turned her focus to her completing her studies at McGill University. 

Furumoto-Deshaies recently won her first Karate 1-Series A title on Canadian turf in Richmond, B.C. She was also a silver medallist at the 2023 Pan Am Senior Championships in addition to winning the North America’s Cup in the women’s Kumite -55kg event. The Gatineau, Que. resident will succeed Toshi Uchiage, who recently took on a coaching role with Karate BC, as the voice on the Board of Directors representing the 2023 Athlete Council.

Beck retired from triathlon after guiding Christine Robbins in the sport’s Paralympic debut at Rio de Janeiro 2016. She continues to coach and mentor youth and adult athletes in the sport in Ontario in addition to her full-time career in the energy industry where she brings her expertise as an engineer to Enbridge Gas Inc. Operational Change Management team. 

Hodgson competed in her lone Olympic Winter Games at Beijing 2022. Since retiring following those Games, Hodgson has enrolled at Mount Royal University and has helped coach young athletes making their first marks in the sport. Hodgson was officially welcomed onto the Board during Luge Canada’s Annual General Meeting this month, which was held in Whistler, B.C. for the first time in 10 years.

Read More: Alyson Charles
Read More: Sasha Beck
Read More: Hana Furumoto-Deshaies
Read More: Makena Hodgson

Vancouver to host 2023 AthletesCAN Forum and 46th Canadian Sport Awards

Posted on by Alan Hudes

TORONTO / VANCOUVER – AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is proud to announce that Vancouver will host the 2023 AthletesCAN Forum and 46th Canadian Sport Awards from Sept. 8-10.

The earlier timeline was chosen to accommodate athletes preparing for and competing at the 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile from Oct. 20-Nov.5 and Nov.17-26, respectively.

 

Thursday’s announcement marks 70 days to go until the return of AthletesCAN’s annual signature event to an in-person format, after being held virtually for the last three years. It will also be the first Forum held in Western Canada since the 2014 edition in Calgary and the first one held in British Columbia and Greater Vancouver since Richmond, B.C. hosted in 2009.  In alignment with significant reforms announced last month across the Canadian sport system by Canada’s Minister of Sport, the Hon. Pascale St-Onge, this year’s Forum theme will be Athlete Governance.

“We are thrilled to bring the AthletesCAN Forum back to the west coast after nearly a decade and a half, and give our members the opportunity to meet, network and engage again in person through key athlete-centred discussions. With a renewed emphasis on prioritizing the athlete voice and strengthening athlete representation, this is a pivotal moment to educate and empower athletes to be leaders within their respective sports. Vancouver is the perfect destination to bring our community together and we look forward to hosting a fantastic event in September.”

Greg Stewart - AthletesCAN Forum Committee Chair and Board Member

The annual AthletesCAN Forum is the largest and most inclusive gathering of Canada’s national team athlete leaders outside of competition. It brings together Canada’s high-performance athletes and sport leaders to learn about the sport system, develop leadership skills, share ideas and network through interactive workshops, seminars and presentations. 

This year’s joint event with the Canadian Sport Awards (CSA) will also be the first held outside of Ontario since AthletesCAN took over and began integrating the annual recognition of athlete advocacy into Forum in 2017. Five of the six awards will be presented on Friday, Sept. 8 – highlighted by the second edition of the relaunched Randy Starkman Award for Leadership in Sports Journalism – in addition to the AthletesCAN Social Responsibility Award, the True Sport Award, the #AthleteVoice Rep of the Year Award and the Bruce Kidd Leadership Award. A national digital campaign in partnership with CBC Sports along with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees for the People’s Choice Award for Most Trending Moment of the Year will be deferred until December, following the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

“We are excited to have the Canadian Sport Awards included as part of Forum Weekend once again, as we transition back to an in-person format in Vancouver. Many of our notable previous winners were honoured among their peers and we cannot wait to recognize this year’s trailblazers, athlete-centred accomplishments and initiatives together.”

Celina Toth - CSA Committee Chair, and former AthletesCAN Board Member (completed her term last fall)

Registration for the 2023 AthletesCAN Forum and nominations for the 46th Canadian Sport Awards are both now open, with Forum attendance targeted at Athlete Representatives from each of the 68 sports eligible for AthletesCAN membership. Further details regarding this year’s Forum Program, including venue, session topics and speakers, will be announced at a later date.

This year’s AthletesCAN Forum is made possible in part by the generous contribution of Richmond Sport Hosting

AthletesCAN is also actively seeking corporate partners that align with the organization’s Mission, Vision and Values to support the event. Interested parties may contact [email protected] or reach out to the AthletesCAN Board and Staff.

About AthletesCAN

AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world.  As the voice of over 6,000 current and recently retired Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN membership spans 68 sports across the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan/Parapan American, and Commonwealth Games, and those currently funded by Sport Canada competing at Senior World Championships. AthletesCAN ensures an athlete-centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture, through educational resources, support, training and professional development.  

Follow us on social @AthletesCAN and Join #TheCollective today.

About the Canadian Sport Awards

The Canadian Sport Awards were established in 1972 by modern day co-founders True Sport, Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sport, Canada Games Council, Commonwealth Sport Canada, and AthletesCAN to recognize and showcase excellence in Canadian sport. Since then, the CSA evolved over time to become the premier recognition event for national sporting excellence. After the 40th anniversary, the awards experienced a five-year hiatus. In 2017, AthletesCAN successfully acquired the rights to revive this staple event to once again bring together members of the sport community to honour the spirit, drive, and commitment of Canada’s international level athletes, coaches, volunteers, and sport leaders.

For more information, please contact:

Alan Hudes
Manager, Communications and Sport Partnerships
AthletesCAN
613-526-4025 Ext. 224
[email protected]

Sport Canada Status of the High Performance Athlete Survey

Posted on by Alan Hudes

Sport Canada is commissioning a study designed to provide up-to-date information on the needs of Canada’s high performance athletes, namely the Status of the High Performance Athlete Survey. This study looks at training, economic, social, education, work, and other areas of athletes’ lives, as well as the environment of Canadian high performance sport in an effort to respond to the needs of Canadian athletes. If you are a carded athlete, we want your feedback! The survey is being conducted by EKOS Research Associates, an independent research consultant and all targeted participants have or will receive a direct invitation by email.

If you have any questions about the survey, please email [email protected] or call them at 1-800-388-2873. Alternatively, you may also contact Joanne Thomson, Manager of the Athlete Assistance Program at Sport Canada at [email protected] if you have any questions about the legitimacy of or context for the survey.

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AthletesCAN Treasurer de Sousa Costa to speak at 2023 Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport

Posted on by Alan Hudes

TORONTO – AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is proud to announce that Treasurer and Board Member Chris de Sousa Costa, will be a featured panelist at the 2023 Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport.

de Sousa Costa, a retired karate national team member, who competed at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, will provide a unique athlete’s perspective during Wednesday’s afternoon session entitled A National Approach to Addressing Competition Manipulation. de Sousa Costa has extensive experience in governance and advisory work, having been the athlete representative on Karate Canada’s Board of Directors for nine years, and is an advisor on their High-Performance Committee. He founded Karate Canada’s athlete council and was the first president.

de Sousa Costa will be joined by Doug Hood of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario; along with Richard McLaren, O.C. and Jeremy Luke, Chief Executive Officers of McLaren Global Sport Solutions (MGSS) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), respectively. The panel will be moderated by Benoit Girardin of LBB Strategies.

The 2023 Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport is presented by MGSS and the CCES, with support from the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and runs Tuesday and Wednesday at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. de Sousa Costa will be accompanied at the symposium by fellow AthletesCAN Board Members Allison Forysth (Alpine Skiing) and Cynthia Appiah (Bobsleigh), in addition to Alan Hudes, AthletesCAN’s Manager of Communications and Sport Partnerships.

The symposium will bring together athletes, national sport organizations, multisport organizations, international sport federations, national and provincial governments, sport gambling operators and regulators, professional sport leagues, integrity units, and law enforcement agencies.

Program
Speakers

About CCES

The CCES works collaboratively to ensure Canadians have a positive sport experience. Through its programs, the CCES manages unethical issues in sport, protects the integrity of Canadian sport, and promotes True Sport to activate values-based sport on and off the field of play. The CCES is an independent, national, not-for profit organization that is responsible for the administration of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. The CCES acknowledges funding, in part, from the Government of Canada. For more information, visit cces.ca, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

About AthletesCAN

AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world.  As the voice of over 6,000 current and recently retired Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN membership spans 68 sports across the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan/Parapan American, and Commonwealth Games, and those currently funded by Sport Canada competing at Senior World Championships.

AthletesCAN ensures an athlete-centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture, through educational resources, support, training and professional development.  

Follow us on social @AthletesCAN and Join #TheCollective today.

For further information, please contact:

Alan Hudes
Manager, Communications and Sport Partnerships
AthletesCAN
613-526-4025 Ext. 224
[email protected]

Megan Cumming
Manager, Corporate Communications
Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
613-521-3340 Ext. 3233
[email protected]

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AthletesCAN’s staff, operations, work, and network depend on traditional Indigenous territories to provide us physical space, sustenance, safety, and community to work, live, and play. We respectfully acknowledge that our members hail from across the country representing the many traditional, treaty, and unceded territories of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people of Turtle Island.

We acknowledge that our ability to live and work on these lands is a direct benefit of policies of expulsion and assimilation of Indigenous peoples during the time of settlement and Confederation, and since. The harms of these policies are many and are still being felt in Indigenous communities today. We express gratitude towards the Indigenous peoples who have and will continue to steward these lands. We affirm our commitment to enacting the 94 Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, especially the Calls to Action which directly relate to Sport, No. 87-94.

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