Olympics

Athletes

Varsity Blues

Subheadline

From swimming to track, volleyball and badminton, several former Varsity Blues athletes will head to the Games alongside key staff members

Five former Blues athletes have qualified to represent Canada at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games this summer – and will be joined in host city Paris by several University of Toronto staff and community members.

Four-time Olympic medalist Kylie Masse has been named a co-captain of the Canadian swimming team at the Games, which take place July 26 to Aug. 11, while former Blues badminton star Michelle Li is set to make her fourth Olympic appearance and beach volleyball player Heather Bansley qualified for her third straight Summer Games.

Track and field alumnae Jazz Shukla and Lucia Stafford are off to their first and second Games, respectively.

Meanwhile, at the Paralympic Games, which take place Aug. 28 to Sept. 8., former Varsity Blues rower Alina Dumas is set to represent Brazil as coxswain of its PR3 coxed four crew.

The athletes will be joined in Paris by several U of T staff members and alumni.

Byron MacDonald, who enters his 47th season as Varsity Blues swimming head coach this September, heads to his 10th Olympic Games as a broadcaster, while assistant head coach Linda Kiefer heads to her sixth Olympic Games as a swimming coach. Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) alumnus and U of T staff member Ron Castro was also named a massage therapist to the Canadian swimming team.

Former Varsity Blues volleyball player and head coach Ed Drakich is set for his fifth Olympic Games as a volleyball technical official. He also represented Canada as an athlete in 1996.

Jane Thornton, Team Canada’s chief medical officer, earned her Doctor of Medicine from U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine in 2014.

Here’s a brief snapshot of the U of T community members who will be representing Canada as the Games get underway later this week:

Kylie Masse reacts after competing in the final of the women's 200m backstroke at the Canada Olympic & Paralympic Swimming Trials at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on May 16, 2024 (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Kylie Masse – Swimming

A member of the Varsity Blues swimming team from 2014-2019, Masse has already put together a lengthy career full of highlights ahead of a third Olympic appearance.

She claimed her first Olympic medal at the 2016 Rio Games, earning bronze in the 100-metre backstroke. She then set a new world record while winning the 100-metre backstroke at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest.

Masse would go on to defend her 100-metre backstroke world championship at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, propelling her to a three-medal performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where she took silver in both the 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke events, and added a bronze as part of Canada’s 4x100m medley relay.

During her time with the Varsity Blues, Masse went undefeated at five consecutive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships without losing an individual or relay race. The five-time OUA female swimmer of the year, five-time OUA first team all-star and the 2015 OUA female rookie of the year also twice won the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi award for individual medley excellence and earned major grand slams in all three backstroke events.

Michelle Li poses during the medal presentation ceremony for the women's singles gold medal badminton match during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England (Photo by Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

Michelle Li – Badminton

Competing with the Varsity Blues badminton team during both the 2009-2010 and 2012-2013 seasons, Li is appearing at her fourth Olympic Games.

She made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, competing in both the women’s singles and doubles events, earning an impressive fourth place result with her partner Alexandra Bruce. She then went on to qualify for both the 2016 Rio Games and 2020 Tokyo Games in the women’s singles, achieving a top 10 finish at the latter.

Among the most successful Canadian female badminton players ever, Li is a six-time Pan American Championships singles gold medalist and the first Canadian woman to win singles gold at the Commonwealth Games.

At U of T, Li helped the Varsity Blues to their first OUA championship title in 10 years, earning OUA female MVP and OUA all-star honours during the 2012-13 campaign. In that season she won both the OUA and Canadian university women’s singles titles, while partnering with Grace Gao to win the women’s doubles titles.

(L-R) Gold medalists Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec of Team Canada pose for photos after the women's final match of the NORCECA Olympic Beach Volleyball Qualification Tournament (photo by Essene Hernandez/Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Heather Bansley – Beach Volleyball

A former Varsity Blues student-athlete between 2005-2010 and assistant coach during the 2021-22 season, Bansley is now getting set to head to her third Olympic Games as a member of Team Canada.

Considered among the best defensive players in the world, she previously competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2016 Rio Games with partner Brandie Wilkerson, placing fifth overall at both international showcases. Bansley has been a dominant player throughout her career on the FIVB beach volleyball world tour, winning the world's best defender honour three times (2018, 2016 and 2015). In 2018, she and Wilkerson reached the No. 1 ranking in the world.

While a student-athlete at U of T, Bansley was a two-time all-Canadian who finished first on the OUA and U SPORTS leader board in points, kills and serving aces per set during the 2009-2010 season. She helped lead the Blues to a provincial title and a spot in the U SPORTS national championship.

Lucia Stafford reacts during the women's 1500m heats at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 2, 2021 (photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Lucia Stafford – Track and Field

An alumna of the Varsity Blues track and field and cross country teams between 2016-2020, Stafford will be heading to her second Olympic Games after winning her third Canadian women’s 1500-metre title. A semifinalist at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Stafford recently set a new Canadian record in the women’s 2000-metre in her Diamond League debut, breaking the previous mark set 30 years ago by Angela Chalmers.

While with the Blues, Stafford was named both U of T’s T-Holders’ female athlete of the year and the OUA female athlete of the year across all sports in her senior season. She earned individual OUA and U SPORTS gold medals, an OUA silver with the women’s cross country team, nine provincial medals and 10 national medals with the track and field team across her four seasons of competition.

Jazz Shukla prepares for the start of the women's 800m semi-final heat three during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Aug. 25, 2023 (photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Jazz Shukla – Track and Field

A Varsity Blues track and field and cross country athlete between 2016 and 2022, Shukla qualified for her first Olympic Games after winning the Canadian women’s 800-metre title. After a steady ascent up the rankings since graduating from U of T, her 1:58.20 time at the Canadian Olympic trials marked the second fastest trials time in North America.

Since jumping back into competition in the 800-metre event in 2022, Shukla has continued to improve her time with each outing. She most recently competed at the 2023 Canadian National Championships, 2023 World Championships and 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Shukla’s time at U of T coincided with impressive results and recognition. With the cross country team, she earned U SPORTS first team all-Canadian and OUA first team all-star honours in 2021.

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 17:19:55 +0000

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 07/09/2024 - 13:19

Cutline

Canadian federal funding in sport is associated with more medals for Olympians like Andre DeGrasse, gold medalist in the men's 200-metre sprint at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and reduced participation in sport among recreational athletes, according to U of T researchers (photo by Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images)

Centre for Sport Policy Studies

Topic

Breaking Research

Research & Innovation

Sports

Subheadline

A research report from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Public Education examines the relationship between federal funding, Olympic success and participation in sports

Federal funding for sport is associated with Canadian athletes winning more Olympic medals – but this comes at the cost of reduced participation in grassroots recreational and competitive sport.

That’s according to a report from the Centre for Sport Policy Studies at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education that delves into the relationship between high-performance sport and grassroot participation.

The research calls into question the notion that funding of high-performance sport – and resulting success of elite athletes on the world stage – has a “trickle-down” effect by inspiring people to participate in sport and physical activity.

“We do not dispute that excellent performances by national athletes are inspirational. However, the effect of inspiration on increasing participation is far less clear,” says Peter Donnelly, a professor emeritus of sport policy and politics at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, who co-authored the report with Bruce Kidd, professor emeritus of sport and public policy and former Olympian.

The researchers argue that inspiration is not enough to break down the barriers that prevent many young people from participating in sport. “Family income, gender/sexuality, (dis)ability, geographical location and other factors can all, individually and in combination, have an enabling or a constraining effect on the possibilities of participating in organized sports,” says Kidd.

The researchers used data on sport participation, Sport Canada’s annual budgets and statistics on Olympics medals won by Canadian athletes since 1988 to examine the relationships between participation in sports, funding and Olympic successes.

“Prior to 1970, the federal government tried to invest in high-performance sport, broadly based participation and physical education in equal measure, and made multi-year shared-cost grants to the provinces and territories to assist with broad-based participation,” says Kidd. “In 1970, it established Sport Canada with a high-performance mandate and unilaterally withdrew from its support of provincial and territorial programs.”

This led to an ongoing decline in participation in organized, competitive sport among Canadians over 15 years of age – from 44 per cent in 1990 to around 27 per cent today.

While there are other factors that can help to explain this decline, including an aging population and rising costs of participation, the researchers point to shifting federal priorities and the structure of Canadian sport policy as the reasons for increased investments in international sport success and decreased investments in grassroots participation.

“Data in other countries show a similar pattern – more money means more medals, and medals cost a lot,” says Donnelly.

In the 16 years since the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Sport Canada budget has more than doubled, now sitting at more than a quarter of a billion dollars each year, according to the report.

”As other countries in the ‘sporting arms race’ increase their budgets and expectations, it will cost more and more money just to stay in the same place in the Olympic medal table,” says Donnelly.

“This has the potential to distort a national sport system in two ways: First, most funding is directed to those sports where national sport leaders see the greatest chance of being able to win medals; and second, the vast majority of government funding for sport tends to go to high-performance sport.”

The researchers offer the following solutions in their report:

Survey national, provincial and territorial sport organizations to determine their capacity to incorporate new participants.
Develop an ‘open house’ strategy during and immediately following major Games for the public to try out different sports, with coaches, athletes and – where possible – former Olympians present to talk about their sports.
Target children and youth; low-income individuals; Indigenous, ethnocultural and immigrant communities; and, for certain sports, persons with a disability and older individuals looking for a form of physical activity.
Re-invigorate school physical education programs, intramural and extracurricular sports; engage coalitions of sport organizations in offering free basic skills development programs for those past school age.
Ensure widespread publicity for the participation initiatives.
Develop a clear subsequent use policy for major Games facilities that includes grassroots participation, similar to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, jointly managed by the City of Toronto and U of T.
Develop an evaluation strategy to determine the success of participation initiatives introduced in association with major Games.

The researchers say they are encouraged by the recent announcement by Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s minister of sport and physical activity, that she will review the Canadian sport system and recommend options for reform.

“People may be inspired by the achievements of high-performance athletes,” says Donnelly. “However, if the material and structural conditions of participation are the same after the Games as they were before, then all the claims of a legacy of increased participation become empty promises.”

With PhD in hand, U of T grad and former Olympian aims to tackle athlete abuse

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 16:28:49 +0000

With PhD in hand, U of T grad and former Olympian aims to tackle athlete abuse

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/05/2024 - 12:28

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Erin Willson, who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games with Team Canada, is graduating with a PhD from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (photo by Hannah Kiviranta)

Topic

Subheadline

Erin Willson, a former synchronized swimmer with Team Canada, researched positive coaching styles for her doctoral dissertation

Erin Willson was a synchronized swimmer for 14 years – half of which were spent as a member of Team Canada, including competing in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Yet, despite her triumphs, Willson's long career at the pinnacle of her sport also caused her to realize just how many athletes experienced emotional abuse, and how little awareness there was around the issue.

“There was some conversation about sexual abuse, but notably, experiences of body shaming and emotional abuse were missing,” says Willson, who is graduating with a PhD from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) this spring.

“This was important to me because I had known from my experience – and the experiences of other athletes that I had spoken with – that emotional abuse can have a lot of really negative effects, but these were being ignored or dismissed as ‘part of sport.’”

When Willson began weighing up options for graduate school, she was drawn to KPE due to the research being done by Professor Gretchen Kerr and Associate Professor Ashley Stirling – dean and vice-dean, respectively – on emotional abuse and body image issues in sport.

Willson says few people were talking about abuse in sport at the time, and the work of Kerr and Stirling resonated with her due to her own experiences. She decided she wanted to contribute to increasing our understanding of athlete abuse as well as shed light on positive coaching approaches.

“As cliché as it sounds, I knew I couldn't change my own experience, but hoped I could change the experiences of future generations so that other athletes would not have to go through what I did to reach their goals,” says Willson.

Her doctoral research took a positive approach to addressing maltreatment in sport. While increased attention to the issue has led to the implementation of codes of conduct and new mechanisms for reporting and investigating abuse, Willson identified an important gap in research and practice.

“Something that’s been missing is teaching coaches and sport organizations what to do instead of focusing on what not to do,” says Willson. “A common reason we've heard from coaches who are hesitant to adopt more positive coaching methods is that they don't elicit performance results like abusive tactics do.”

For her dissertation, Willson interviewed Olympic and Paralympic medalists and their coaches who had a positive sport experience to provide evidence that positive coaching styles elicit performance and to outline what positive coaching can look like.

She says the biggest challenge she faced was the intensity of the subject matter she was studying. “I felt this especially when my personal story of what I had experienced as an athlete became public,” says Willson, noting she was “really lucky” to have the support of friends, family and her supervisor.

Willson said she also received plenty of support for her advocacy. For the past three years, she has been the president of AthletesCAN, and has advocated for athletes on issues like safe sport, representation and funding. “While I have been very fortunate to be able to pursue multiple passions at once, at times, it was difficult to balance both interests,” says Willson. “I was very fortunate to have the support of my supervisor and the faculty of KPE, who supported and celebrated the work that I was doing in both areas.”

Her research-to-practice approach was also encouraged through a Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowship, which supports public scholarship. With the help of the fellowship, Willson travelled to several international conferences and completed a month-long seminar at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece – the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games.

Willson is conducting post-doctoral research with Kerr in KPE’s Safe Sport lab, where she’s working with the Coaching Association of Canada to translate her dissertation data into a practical toolkit for coaches. This summer, she started teaching an undergraduate course on maltreatment in youth sport.

“It’s an exciting time for women's sports in Canada, which aligns with my research interests of gender-based violence and gender-equity as a solution to violence, so I can see myself being involved in this, either through research, practice or a combination of the two in the near future,” says Willson.

Reflecting on her time thus far at KPE, Willson credits her supervisor Kerr and committee members Stirling and Professor Emeritus Bruce Kidd for creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment.

Her biggest piece of advice for students interested in following in her footsteps? Pursue your passion.

“Graduate school can be really difficult, but if you're passionate about what you're doing, it makes it so much easier,” she says. “Even on the hardest days, I always woke up feeling so grateful that I got to do something that I loved.”

Figure skating furor: U of T expert on the doping scandal gripping the Beijing Games

geoff.vendeville — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 20:43:48 +0000

Figure skating furor: U of T expert on the doping scandal gripping the Beijing Games

geoff.vendeville Tue, 02/15/2022 - 15:43

Cutline

Russian Olympic Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva and her coaches attend the women's short program event at the Capital Indoor Stadium (photo by Valery Sharifulin/TASS/Getty Images)

Topic

Sport

Russian teenager Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women’s figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics despite failing a pre-Games drug test. A Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel ruled that the 15-year-old athlete – the favourite for the women’s individual gold – doesn't need to be provisionally suspended pending a full investigation.

Valieva tested positive for the heart medication, trimetazidine, at the Russian national competition in December, but the lab result didn't surface until a week ago – only after she had helped Russian Olymic Committee win the team gold.

Doug Richards

In allowing Valieva to compete in Beijing, the arbitrators said they “considered that preventing the Athlete from competing at the Olympic Games would cause her irreparable harm in these circumstances.” The panel noted that Valieva is a minor and hadn't tested positive in Beijing, but in December.

The ruling allows Valieva to skate at the women's singles event on Thursday, but the International Olympic Committee has said no medals will be awarded in any event in which Valieva places in the top three until her case is resolved.

The IOC also said there will be no ceremony for the team event won by Valieva and the Russian team a week ago, because “it would not be appropriate.”

The decision to withhold medals affects clean athletes, who may leave Beijing without having their moment on the podium or knowing their standings. The case could have implications for Canada, who could move up from fourth to win bronze in the team event.

Doug Richards, an associate professor, teaching stream in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), was medical director of the university's David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic for more than 30 years and served as a team doctor for U of T's Varsity Blues intercollegiate teams, Canada's basketball and beach volleyball women's teams, and the Toronto Raptors. He was also chief medical officer of the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario.

Richards recently shared his thoughts on the Valieva controversy with KPE writer Jelena Damjanovic.

What is trimetazidine and how might it enhance an athlete’s performance?

Trimetazidine is the generic name of a drug sold under multiple different brand names in various jurisdictions.

It is not widely prescribed in North America, but perhaps used somewhat more in Europe. In clinical settings, it is occasionally used as an adjunct or secondary treatment of angina pectoris, a symptom of myocardial ischemia (limited blood flow to the heart muscle). Clinical trials have not shown it to be of substantial benefit in such treatment, which is why it is not widely prescribed.

It has an interesting and complex mechanism of action that involves inhibition of one of the enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism in mitochondria, thereby increasing the use of glucose as muscle fuel. It has been shown in some well-controlled research to enhance cardiac and muscle performance in oxygen-scarce environments, such as at altitude, at least with short-term usage.

As a result of this perceived ability to enhance performance, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added trimetazidine to its list of prohibited substances in 2014 – initially as a stimulant substance – later switching it to the category of hormones and metabolic modulators. Its use is prohibited at all times in sport – both in and out of competitions.

Why was there such a long delay between Valieva's test in December and the reported result? Is that common?

Great question. To my knowledge, the results from the A-sample ordinarily do not take that long to process. It begs suspicion of suppression of an adverse analytic finding (an AAF is a positive test). It may have something to do with her legal minor (protected person) status under WADA rules, but I would still expect a prompt announcement of an AAF without identification of the athlete, and that did not happen for unknown reasons.

Valieva is one of the youngest Olympians ever to fail a doping test. What's your take on how this could have happened?

It is not conceivable that such a medication would have been prescribed to a 15-year-old for legitimate medical reasons – myocardial ischemia is unheard of in normal 15-year-olds, let alone an extremely athletic superstar. And, I have seen no claims that she took it for legitimate reasons – there are no reports of her having applied for a medical exemption for a prohibited substance. So we can assume that if the reports of her adverse analytic finding (positive test) are true, she was taking it for performance enhancement, not medical purposes.

In that context, it is difficult, if not impossible, to conceive of a 15-year-old independently researching, sourcing and self-administering this unusual, rarely used medication that is prohibited by WADA in order to boost her performance capacity. Of course someone else has to be involved. The question is how far up the hierarchy of the Russian sport system that involvement goes.

What do you think of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling?

The CAS ruling this week does not deal with the merits or substance of the case; it is strictly procedural. They have ruled that she should be allowed to compete pending the outcome of the investigation of the merits of the case, which would include B-sample analysis and hearings in which involved parties can present evidence to the anti-doping agency and international sport federation with jurisdiction.

So, Valieva can skate in Beijing and, if she wins, whether she gets to receive or keep her medals will depend on the future outcome of a process that includes further investigation, hearings and possibly administration of sanctions.

In my opinion, if she is eventually found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation that occurred two months ago, then she should be suspended and any medals won in Beijing should be rescinded.

However, anti-doping agencies (ADAs) and international sport federations (ISFs) – not to mention the Court of Arbitration for Sport, to which the rulings of ADAs and ISFs can be appealed – have wide leeway in regard to sanctions for anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs), including administration of simple warnings with no significant penalties. I think such leniency should be reserved for cases where there is iron-clad evidence that the athlete was an unwilling and uninformed dupe of others manipulating them; but sanctions should then be administered to those parties – and that is not always the case.

A runner's journey: Bruce Kidd recounts a life at the intersection of sport, politics and social change

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 20:22:48 +0000

A runner's journey: Bruce Kidd recounts a life at the intersection of sport, politics and social change

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/21/2021 - 16:22

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In his memoir, Bruce Kidd takes readers on a journey through some of the most significant social and political movements of the last 70 years (photo courtesy of University of Toronto Scarborough)

Topic

Our Community

Bruce Kidd, a professor emeritus in the the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, writes in the introduction to his new book, A Runner’s Journey, that, “while an autobiography covers an entire life ... this is about my life in sport.”

But it is also much more.

Looking back at his life through the lens of sport, Kidd, a former Olympic athlete, member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, takes readers on a journey through some of the most significant social and political movements of the last 70 years.

Divided into three parts, the book traces Kidd’s athletic career in track and field – the highs and lows – and follows his circuitous route to becoming an activist and academic in sport studies.

Writer Jelena Damjanovic recently caught up with Kidd, who is also U of T’s ombudsperson and a former principal of U of T Scarborough, to chat about some of the defining moments of his life and career ahead of a Sept. 23 book launch event at Varsity Stadium.

You write about growing up loving sports of all kinds. How did you settle on running?

I had always loved to run, but knew nothing about the longer distances until forced to run a mile in a Grade 10 physical education class at Malvern Collegiate. When I ran it easily, the teacher, Mr. Grabb, encouraged me to enter the school’s harrier championship. When I won that easily, he recruited me to the school team. I loved it and found I was good at it. In my very first season, I won two city championships.

What was it about running that beat out all the other sports you enjoyed?

In track, you were the author of your own success and failure. That was very enticing.

You were a sensation on the North American track scene in the early 1960s. How did you recover from a disappointing showing in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo?

When I lost in Tokyo, I thought my life was over. It took me quite a while to recover. But supported by teammates, opponents, family and professors at U of T, I realized that life continued and there were other exciting avenues to pursue. I gradually learned to overcome the fear of failure. If I had survived the humiliation of Tokyo, I told myself, I could survive anything. It made it easier to take on difficult challenges.

What were some of your earliest lessons about sport values?

I was very lucky in the parents and coaches I had. They taught me that everyone deserved opportunity and fair treatment, and that racist and anti-Semitic trash talk had no place in sports.

Later on in life, you had more disturbing introductions to the way in which sport was affected by racism and sexism. What were some of the more poignant ones?

It was hard to see my Black teammate Harry Jerome criticized for ‘quitting’ in a major race when he was so clearly injured, and women teammates having to change behind a tree while we had heated dressing rooms with hot showers. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, girls and women were actively discouraged from sport.

Harry Jerome (left) and Bruce Kidd (right) and at British Empire Game Trials in East York, August 1962 (photo by Mihkel Turk)

Some of your detractors criticized you for pointing out things that needed improving in sports. How did you respond?

At first I was combative in the spirit of 1960s student radicalism, lashing back at my critics. That gave me the satisfaction of getting their attention, yet it didn’t help win over other people or bring about change. Gradually, with trial and error and mentoring from some very astute people, I learned to focus on what could be improved. That took a while, and constitutes a big part of the middle part the memoir.

What role did working as a civil servant at the Treasury Board Secretariat play in teaching you how to work the system from within?

Treasury Board taught me how to navigate a big cumbersome bureaucracy like the provincial government and the University of Toronto. It also taught me that it’s not enough to change policy – but to ensure its effective implementation.

Of all the battles you fought, and continue to fight, which one would you single out as most important to you?

I’m very proud of those battles, but perhaps I’m proudest of the role I played in the international campaign to isolate apartheid sport in South Africa. It not only helped eradicate apartheid but turned international sports towards human rights.

What’s the most important battle in sport today?

To realize sport for all as a basic human right and a contribution to population health. We talk all the time about the benefits of sport and physical activity, but they’re only available to a minority of the population. With COVID, woeful participation levels fell even further. It’s a Canadian and worldwide crisis.

'An honour': U of T alumna – and Olympian – Alicia Brown receives CAN Fund support

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 17:01:56 +0000

'An honour': U of T alumna – and Olympian – Alicia Brown receives CAN Fund support

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 09/01/2021 - 13:01

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Alicia Brown, a U of T Mississauga alumna and staff member at Hart House, competed for Canada in the 4x400 relay event at the Tokyo Summer Olympics (all photos courtesy of Alicia Brown)

Topic

Alicia Brown was finishing her workout before heading to Tokyo’s Olympic Village when her teammate surprised her with the news: She was just named a CAN Fund #150Women recipient.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” says Brown, an alumna of the University of Toronto who recently competed for Canada in the 4x400 relay at the Tokyo Summer Olympics – and narrowly missed making the podium.

“It took a second to process it, what it means, and what impact it could have on myself and my experience in sport. It’s definitely an honour.”

Brown, who graduated from U of T Mississauga with an honours bachelor’s degree in communications, culture and information technology and is a a membership sales and service associate at Hart House, is one of 390 female athletes to be awarded $6,000 each from the organization.

CAN Fund #150Women is a branch of CAN Fund – a not-for-profit organization that helps give Canadian athletes the financial support they need to train and compete for Canada. CAN Fund #150Women specifically focuses on Canadian female athletes and is a philanthropic community of women who are committed to supporting female athletes.

Brown has always had a passion for sport. She started playing soccer competitively at a young age. Then, in high school, she joined her school’s track and field team – and never looked back. Throughout her life, she says she always dreamed of competing in the Olympics – which became a reality in 2016 and again this year.

The journey to the Olympics wasn’t been easy.

Brown says she knows all too well the many struggles female athletes face – including body image issues and balancing society’s views of how a girl or woman should be. That’s often in addition to the stress of juggling training, work and family obligations.

“It's important for girls to see strong, powerful female bodies represented,” she says. “I want them to know that strong and athletic is beautiful, and that they don't need to change who they are or what they aspire to be in order to fit in.

“I think this is particularly important for racialized girls who may not see themselves represented in mainstream media.”

There’s yet another major barrier – one that all athletes face: funding. Brown says she has seen many talented athletes stop competing due to lack of money.

“To participate in high level track and field is expensive, especially in Canada where our winters are cold,” she says, noting that Canada’s frigid temperatures often mean athletes must move to indoor tracks or pay to travel south to participate in lengthy warm-weather training camps where major costs like food and hotel stays – to name a few – quickly add up.

Through organizations like CAN Fund, Brown says athletes are given the opportunity to continue to pursue their athletic careers. Now, as a CAN Fund #150Women recipient, she says she has that same opportunity.

For now, Brown is giving her mind and body some time to rest after competing in the Games. While she’s not sure what her future athletic career holds, she says the award will greatly help as she comes out of an extremely costly training season.

“I remember navigating the year and being like, ‘Just do it, you’ll figure it out after,’” she says. “A lot of the support that I got from CAN Fund #150Women really helps me go back and balance the books in many ways. It’s never too late for that funding.”

Pankration? With Olympics underway, U of T course explores ancient games

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 17:23:04 +0000

Pankration? With Olympics underway, U of T course explores ancient games

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/06/2021 - 13:23

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Red-figure pottery depicting a disc-thrower from the fifth century B.C. who is surrounded by implements used in the long jump – another contest that made up ancient pentathlons (photo by DEA Picture Library/De Agostini via Getty Images)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Classics

Undergraduate Students

University College

As they watch the Olympic Games in Japan, a group of University of Toronto students is learning about the origins and historical significance of such athletic competitions, which began almost 3,000 years ago.

The third-year course, offered by the department of classics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, is called Sport & Festival. It’s taught by PhD candidate Naomi Neufeld.

In the class, students explore the role of athletic contests and religious festivals in ancient Greek and Roman societies, examining the athletic events’ political, social and religious impacts.

“We look at the competitors,” says Neufeld. “What is their social status? What political significance is behind hosting these games? What religious significance is there? We interrogate further for our understanding of the Greek and Roman world.

“I'm an archaeologist so context is everything. Without understanding the bigger pictures, you only get an isolated look.”

With the Olympic Games currently underway in Tokyo, there’s also discussion surrounding the competition’s ancient roots.

Compared to the ancient world, some Olympic events haven’t changed that much, though Greek athletes originally competed in all stadium events in the nude.

“It was one of the most important elements of the games,” says Neufeld, noting that training and competing nude was a source of pride. “In fact, the Greeks looked down upon those who exercised clothed as ‘barbarians.’”

Attire aside, many of the running races and other track and field events, as well as wrestling and boxing, remain relatively unchanged.

“They also had a sport called pankration, which was a mixture of boxing and wrestling,” says Neufeld – essentially a Greek version of mixed martial arts.

The first pentathlons included a running race length, discus throw, long jump, javelin throw and, finally, a wrestling match between the two top athletes in the previous events. Today’s pentathlon includes a very different format composed of pistol shooting, fencing, a swimming race, equestrian show jumping and a 3,200-metre cross-country run.

Few events brought people to their feet like the chariot races – so often celebrated in Hollywood movies. “In the ancient world, chariot races were one of the best and most exciting events,” says Neufeld.

Another similarity between the ancient games and today’s games? Different sports came and went over time.

In some of the early games, Greeks held a mule cart race called the apene, which were nowhere near as fast or flashy as horse chariot races. “This event fell out of favour during the Classical period,” says Neufeld.

There was also a race called the kalpe that involved competitors riding a horse around a track for several laps and then dismounting and running the final lap on foot beside it.

There was a marked difference between the meaning of the games in ancient Greece and ancient Rome, explains Neufeld.

“In Greece, these games were exclusive to free Greek citizens,” she says. The athletes were of high social status, often considered the elite of society. And they proudly represented various city states known as a polis. Their success in the games was seen as representative of the polis’ ability to produce outstanding citizens. The Greeks also firmly believed that physical strength and a pleasing physical appearance represented strong character or ethos.

In Rome, the games had a different function. Athletic events were more of a spectacle than a competition – and became powerful political tools.

“Participants in these games were of low status,” says Neufeld. “The elite would watch them as a form of entertainment. And if politicians put on lavish games, they could get support for running for political office, or the emperor could get support of the people and appease them in times of trouble.”

It’s from such competitions that the phrase “bread and circuses” was invented by the Roman satirist, Juvenal. The phrase means to generate public approval – not by excellence in public service, but by diversion or by satisfying the base needs of a population by offering food and entertainment.

Roman politicians generated plenty of support through events that featured the gladiators. But it wasn’t quite as Hollywood depicts, says Neufeld.

“The earliest games recorded in Roman history took place in conjunction with funeral events. As such, the violent sport has been interpreted as a type of ritual bloodletting to appease the ghosts of the departed,” says Neufeld. “And it wasn’t simply about brutal slaughter. That was reserved for public executions. Spectators wanted to see evenly matched opponents fighting with skill, endurance and fortitude.

“If a defeated gladiator fought well and bravely, he could be spared.”

Despite the differences, athletic competitions for both cultures had deep ties to religion.

“Greek athletic competitions were held during religious festivals in honour of the gods and may have been seen as offerings to the deities,” says Neufeld. “Major games where Greek citizens of all poleis could gather together and compete were held in religious sanctuaries like Delphi and Olympia, where gods had temples and sacrifices could be made in their honour.”

In early Rome, victorious generals vowed to hold ludi (athletic games and chariot races) if the gods would grant him military success. “These games were then held as thanks to the deities,” says Neufeld.

Sarah Cassidy, a fourth-year political science student at University College who is minoring in classics and sociology, says she is enjoying the course.

“I wanted to learn more about the social lives of ancient Greeks and Romans,” she says. “We hear so much about the Olympics, chariot races and gladiators, but prior to this class, I really only had a general knowledge from media materials and culture. I wanted to delve deeper and learn more about the lesser-known festivals and the impacts these events had on the lives and history of the ancients.

“I didn't expect to learn how important these festivals were to not only the citizens and cities, but how necessary they were in protecting, expressing and maintaining Greek and Roman identities.”

Kylie Masse completes Tokyo medal haul with silver in 200-metre backstroke, bronze in relay

geoff.vendeville — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 14:49:42 +0000

Kylie Masse completes Tokyo medal haul with silver in 200-metre backstroke, bronze in relay

geoff.vendeville Tue, 08/03/2021 - 10:49

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U of T alumna Kylie Masse, far left, won bronze in the 4x100 medley relay in Tokyo along with her teammates Sydney Pickrem, Maggie Mac Neil and Penny Oleksiak (photo courtesy of Swimming Canada/Ian MacNicol)

Jill Clark

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Alumni

Varsity Blues

Recent University of Toronto graduate Kylie Masse helped Canada win bronze in the 4x100 medley relay over the weekend, earning her third medal of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Masse, who graduated from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education this year, swam first in the relay and gave Canada the lead after the backstroke leg with a time of 57.90. The Canadian team – which also featured Sydney Pickrem (breaststroke), Maggie Mac Neil (butterfly) and Penny Oleksiak (freestyle) – went on to set a Canadian record in the event with a time of 3:52.60. They finished behind the Australian and the American teams, who took gold and silver.

“It's so special,” Masse, a former Varsity Blues swimmer from LaSalle, Ont., told CBC when asked about the difference between swimming in individual and relay events. “These girls have been my people, especially this past year through all the challenges with COVID.

“We've been together and by each other's side so I'm really happy to have done this here with them tonight.”

One day earlier, Masse took silver in the 200-metre backstroke, beating her personal best time and the previous Canadian record, which she held. Last week, she took home a silver in the 100-metre backstroke.

A bronze medal-winner in the 100-metre backstroke at the 2016 Games in Rio, Masse has now climbed the podium four times over two Olympics.

Byron MacDonald, head coach of the Varsity Blues swim team, praised Masse's performance in Tokyo.

“The word ‘incredible’ really doesn't seem to do justice to what Kylie has accomplished today and over the past six years,” he said in an email from Japan, where he's working as a CBC swimming commentator.

“Elite sports is about performance on demand and Kylie has always done that. She is so humble and gracious with her success. She is a true champion of sport.”

Elite athletes more likely to experience mental health disorders: U of T study

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 13:23:37 +0000

Elite athletes more likely to experience mental health disorders: U of T study

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 07/30/2021 - 09:23

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U of T researchers found that more than 40 per cent of Canadian national team athletes – those training for Tokyo 2020 – met criteria for depression, anxiety and/or an eating disorder (photo by Matthias Hangst via Getty Images)

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Our Community

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Mental Health