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.”
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.”
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]