Canada Games

The Canada Games are a biannual sports event that represent the highest level of national competition for elite young athletes across Canada. Since the inaugural Quebec City event in 1967, the Canada Games have been played at least once in every Canadian province. Like the Olympics, the Canada Games include both summer and winter multi-sport competitions, each of which is held every four years. At each iteration of the Canada Games, thousands of young athletes from each province gather to engage in two weeks of spirited athletic competition. The Canada Games are also uniquely inclusive in that they are open to many athletes who might not always be invited to participate in similar high-level events, such as para-athletes and athletes of all gender identities. In addition to athletic competition, the Canada Games also feature a festival and arts program that provide a creative forum for a diverse array of Canadian artists and performers.

Background

The history of the Canada Games dates back to when the idea for such a competition was first suggested by Norton Crow, secretary of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada, in 1924. While Crow’s proposal garnered little support at the time, Canadian athletic officials continued to discuss the idea for more than two decades. The pivotal moment came when the prospect of a national sports festival was floated once again by the National Advisory Council on Fitness and Amateur Sports in 1962. In response to the council’s discussion, Quebec-based lawyer André Marceau partnered with a number of local sports authorities to create a corporation of popular Canadian winter sports. That effort eventually led to the formal organization of the Canada Games.

On the recommendation of the Canadian Centennial Commission, the first Canada Winter Games were held in Quebec City in 1967. The first Canada Summer Games were subsequently held in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 1969. Since that time, each version of the Canada Games has been held every four years.

One of the most significant changes to the operation of the Canada Games came with the establishment of the Canada Games Council in 1991. A private, non-profit organization, the Canada Games Council serves as the governing body of the Canada Games. In that capacity, the council is primarily responsible for overseeing the development of the event, including providing continuity, leadership, and support to host cities as the Games move from one community to the next. The Canada Games Council assists local Host Societies with everything from technical sports matters to organizational planning, marketing and sponsorship, and ceremonies and protocol. The Canada Games Council also manages long-term relationships with various sports organizations, government bodies, and corporate collaborators at national, provincial, and municipal levels. The council is responsible for managing financial matters as well, allocating funds as necessary in order to ensure that the Canada Games’ mission to promote a sense of community pride and national unity through athletic competition may continue as it has since the organization was first founded in the 1960s.

Overview

The Canada Games are a large, multi-sport competitive event for young Canadian athletes held every two years, alternating between winter games and summer games. Each iteration of the Canada Games is held in a different host city, selected through a bidding process overseen by the Canada Games Council. Some of the cities that have hosted the Canada Games over the years include Thunder Bay, Ontario; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Brandon, Manitoba; Prince George, British Columbia; and most recently, Niagara, Ontario (2022 Summer Games), and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (2023 Winter Games).

Athletes who wish to compete in the Canada Games must meet a number of key requirements. Specifically, they must be between twelve and eighteen years of age at the time of the Games, place well in the preceding provincial qualifying tournaments, and be members of the national team.

Played since 1967, the Canada Winter Games feature competition in a wide variety of both winter and outdoor sports. Some of these sports include ice hockey, alpine skiing, speed skating, curling, biathlon, artistic gymnastics, boxing, synchronized swimming, fencing, and wheelchair basketball. The Canada Summer Games, which began in 1969, consist of outdoor sports appropriate for warm weather and some indoor sports. Some of these include basketball, baseball, track and field, field hockey, wrestling, sailing, cycling, swimming, diving, and soccer.

Many notable Canadian athletes first rose to prominence at the Canada Games. Among the best-known individuals to have competed at the Canada Games include former National Hockey League (NHL) player and Montreal Canadiens forward Bob Gainey, former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Steve Nash, NHL player Steven Stamkos, former heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, and ice hockey player Sidney Crosby.

The Canada Games also has its own Hall of Honour that recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of athletes, coaches, officials, and other individuals who have helped advance the Canada Games movement. Bob Secord, who was one of the founding fathers of the Canada Games, was inducted in 2009. Roland McLenahan, a former amateur and professional ice hockey player who was instrumental in the creation of New Brunswick’s Canada Games team, was inducted in 2009 as well. Catriona Le May Doan, a decorated former speed skater who later went on to join the Canada Games Council Board of Directors and Sport Committee, was inducted in 2011. Annie Pelletier, a former gymnast and long-time spokesperson for the Quebec Special Olympics, was inducted in 2013. Carla MacLeod, a former ice hockey player and two-time Olympic gold medalist, was inducted in 2017.

Le May Doan, Pelletier, and MacLeod are only a few of the Canada Games alumni who ultimately went on to win Olympic medals. All-star athletes Sidney Crosby and Steve Nash both led Team Canada to Olympic medal victories. Canoer, kayaker, and sprinter Adam van Koeverden competed at several Olympic Games and won gold, silver, and bronze medals in various competitions. Ice hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin led Team Canada to gold medal wins at both the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, as well as a silver medal win at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. Short-track speed skater Marianne St-Gelais brought home several silver medals at the Vancouver and Sochi Olympic Games. Olympic medalists like swimmer Penny Oleksiak, sprinter Andre De Grasse, and soccer player Christine Sinclair also got their start at the Canada Games.

Bibliography

“About.” Canada Games, www.canadagames.ca/about-us. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Doré, Yvon, and Tabitha Marshall. “Canada Games (Jeux du Canada).” Canadian Encyclopedia, 2 Nov. 2016, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-games-jeux-du-canada. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Ewing, Lori. “Canada Winter Games Using New Gender Inclusion Policy at 2019 Event.” CBC, 18 Feb. 2019, www.cbc.ca/sports/canada-games-gender-inclusion-policy-1.5023596. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Nichols, Paula. “Canada Games a Starting Point for Future Olympic Stars.” Canadian Olympic Foundation, 28 July 2017, olympic.ca/2017/07/28/canada-games-a-starting-point-for-future-olympic-stars. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“Prince Edward Island 2023.” Canada Games, www.canadagames.ca/previous-games/pei-2023. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“27 Quick Facts and Statistics – 2019 Canada Winter Games.” Government of Canada, 17 Dec. 2019, www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/winter-games-2019/facts-statistics.html. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“What Are the Canada Games?” Brock University, brocku.ca/canada-games/cg101/what-are-the-canada-games. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.