Happy July! With warmer weather, longer days and the Olympics around the corner, there is a lot to look forward to as summer kicks off.

With only a few weeks until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics begin, we are excited to see that Canada’s women athletes are projected to win most of the medals for Team Canada. After the women accumulated 16 of the 22 medals from the 2016 Rio Olympics, there is a lot to be excited about when the Games begin July 23rd.

While major sporting events and leagues have found ways to accommodate and adjust safety protocols for athletes, provincial and local sport organizations have struggled with pandemic restrictions to consistently keep players on the field. After 16 months of limited sport and recreation options for athletes and youth, what will sport participation look like as sports begin to return?

It’s not looking great. Today, in partnership with the E-Alliance and thanks to generous funding support from Sport Canada, and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, we released Pandemic Impact on Girls in Sport. The reality of these findings? 1 in 4 girls are not committed to returning to sport. If they do not come back, that means over 350k girls will not be returning. The time is now to act so that the current lack of commitment does not materialize into fewer girls on the field.

To start, we need to understand how the COVID-19 stoppage is impacting girls and how this relates to the existing barriers women and girls face in sport. This will point us to targeted solutions. Learn more about the findings of this research and share this data with your networks to help build back sport better.

What’s happening at Canadian Women & Sport in July?

To help build back better sport, Canadian Women & Sport has launched two (2) gender equity programming initiatives to engage sport organizations to support and champion women and girls in their communities. Learn more about the upcoming opportunities and deadlines below.

Know someone or a sport organization that would be perfect for one or more of these programs? Send them the information below!

  • We are pleased to extend an invitation to sport and recreation organizations across Canada to apply for the Same Game Challenge. Thanks to funding by Sport Canada, this project will support sport and physical activity organizations in actively engaging women and girls by implementing the Same Game Online Toolkit. This project will provide training and coaching to organizations working through the Same Game toolkit, which embeds gender equity within your organization – from creating your vision, to implementing initiatives, to reflecting and revising what you’ve done, and all the steps in between.
    • Apply now to the National Same Game Challenge. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, July 21st, 2021.
  • We are also excited to extend an invitation to Greater Toronto Area (GTA) sport and recreation organizations to apply for the GTA Same Game Challenge. Thanks to funding from Nike Canada as part of the company’s Made to Play global commitment to get kids moving, Canadian Women & Sport will support and connect 10 sport and physical activity leaders working to advance gender equity in their organization. This application is open to local community sport and recreation organizations within the Greater Toronto Area such as minor sport organizations, recreation facilities, or other organizations that offer physical activity or sport in their community. 
    • Apply now to the GTA Same Game Challenge. Deadline for submissions is Thursday, July 22nd, 2021.

While you’re here…

  • Be sure to stay tuned for our 2020-21 Impact Report coming out soon! Learn how we have adjusted our programming throughout the pandemic, the big projects we’ve been working on, and what is in store for us going forward!

Thanks for reading!

July Newsletter – Going for Gold: Canadian Women Leading the Charge for Tokyo 2020

Happy July! With warmer weather, longer days and the Olympics around the corner, there is a lot to look forward to as summer kicks off. With only a few weeks until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics begin, we are excited to see that Canada’s women athletes are projected to win most of the medals for Team Canada. […]

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One in 4 Canadian Girls Are Not Committed to Return to Sport after COVID-19 According to New Study

New research from Canadian Women & Sport, E-Alliance and Jumpstart Charities demonstrates impact of the pandemic on sport participation for Canadian girls aged 6-18. Ottawa, ON (July 13, 2021) – Canadian Women & Sport, in partnership with E-Alliance and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, and thanks to funding from Sport Canada, released a new study – COVID Alert: Pandemic Impact on Girls in Sport  – examining the impact of the pandemic […]

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Call for Applications: Local Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Organizations Needed for GTA Same Game Challenge

An opportunity for organizations to define and bring to life their gender equity vision Canadian Women & Sport is pleased to extend an invitation to sport, physical activity and recreation organizations to apply for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Same Game Challenge. Thanks to funding support from Nike Canada as part of the company’s Made […]

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Call for National Applications: Local Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Organizations Needed for Same Game Challenge

An opportunity to define and bring to life your unique gender equity vision Canadian Women & Sport is pleased to extend an invitation to sport and recreation organizations to apply for the Same Game Challenge thanks to funding support from Sport Canada. This project will support local communities to advance gender equity and improve opportunities […]

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Call for Community Partner(s) to Participate in Project to Remove Barriers for Self-identified Girls in Sport

Overview of Project Removing Barriers to Keep Self-Identified Girls in Sports is a collaborative sport and leadership initiative between Fast and Female and Canadian Women & Sport, funded by Silver Gummy Foundation. This pilot is for girls, aged 10 to 14, and their coaches, sport program designers and/or administrators. This multi-week program is designed to […]

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June Newsletter – Celebrating Intersectionality in Sport

June marks a time of celebration as the LGBTQ2IS+ and Indigenous communities rings in Pride and Indigenous History Month!  Although many celebrations will remain virtual for a second year, it is important to commemorate and celebrate LGBTQI2S activism in society and sport while also recognizing the work that still needs to be done. Canadian Women […]

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LGBTQI2S+ Sport Inclusion Task Force launches equity, diversity and inclusion website

Sportinclusion.ca to be a resource hub to foster a more inclusive sport system TORONTO (June 1, 2021) – To mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia 2021, the LGBTQI2S+ Sport Inclusion Task Force (SITF) proudly announced the launch of its new website on Tuesday: sportinclusion.ca. The site will support National, Provincial/Territorial, and Local/Club Sport […]

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2020-2021 Women in Sport Leadership Snapshot

In a year where COVID-19 unfortunately sparked a “she-cession” that threatened to roll back economic progress of women, it is encouraging to see key sport leadership roles held by women either hold steady versus one year ago or move slightly up. But, while progress is exciting, at the current pace, the national level of sport […]

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Canadian Women & Sport Announces Pilot Partners for Game On Sport Leadership Program

Canadian Women & Sport is excited to partner with organizations from across the country to pilot Game On – an 8-week sport leadership program to help keep girls in the game. As many as 62% of Canadian girls are not participating in any kind of sport and across adolescence, 1 in 3 girls drops out […]

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Canadian Women & Sport Concludes Successful Board of Directors Election

Toronto, ON (May 20, 2021) – Canadian Women & Sport has concluded its 2021 Board of Directors election and is excited to welcome Susan Irving (Chief Marketing Officer at Kruger Products, L.P.), Rahim Mohamed (Director of Soccer at Saskatchewan Soccer Association) and Trinh Tham (Chief Marketing Officer at Harry Rosen) to the board. The three […]

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