Canadian youth miss organized sports, but some might not return post-pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has deprived many young Canadians of organized sport for the last year. The question is: has sport lost them for good?

A recent survey commissioned by the Canada Games Council (CGC) along with IMI International found that one in five Canadian youth do not intend to return to sports once pandemic restrictions are lifted.

It added that 69 percent of Canadians feel that sports will play a key role in rejuvenating young people after months of staying at home and staring at screens for school and leisure, while 84 percent of parents believe sport has a positive impact on their child’s mental health.

So the question is, why?

Catriona Le May Doan is best known as a three-time Olympic medallist in speed skating but is now vice-chair of the CGC.

She is passionate about proving that survey wrong but says help is needed from all levels of government.

“The grassroots community level that don’t fall under a provincial sport organization – they have actually fallen through the cracks,’ said Le May Doan from Calgary.

“They don’t fall under anything so nobody has funding for them. Most of those groups don’t qualify for any subsidy that’s put forward by any provincial or territorial or federal government. Almost half of those organizations won’t survive the pandemic.  So, how do we expect people to get active when those sports organizations won’t be in existence.”

Whether it’s enough remains to be seen, but on March 17th, the Ontario Government announced over $15 million in funding for grassroots sports and high-performance athletes.

“This concerning data suggests that our sports community needs to do everything we can to support the long-term welfare of Canadian youth,” said Dan Wilcock, President and CEO of the Canada Games Council in a recent press release.

“The benefits of sport are clear in developing the next generation of Canadians, but many thousands of Canadian youth appear at risk of missing out on those physical and mental benefits coming out of the pandemic.”

“Self-confidence of all kids has taken a hit,” said Le May Doan who is the mother of two teenagers herself.

“Sport can help bring that back in all the parts where we’re struggling.”

The hope is that recent optimism surrounding the vaccine and a light at the end of the tunnel will permeate to grassroots-level athletics – and the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo could help provide that inspiration.

“The finish line is very close,” said Le May Doan. “It’s tough because it’s just teasing us all and we just need to get everyone vaccinated. I look to the Tokyo Games to hopefully be this big shining light, giving hope to everybody, saying ‘look what we can do.'”

The Tokyo Games – delayed a year due to the pandemic – are scheduled to begin with the opening ceremonies on July 23rd.

The GCC’s crown jewel – the Canada Summer Games themselves – were also pushed back a year and will take place August 6-21, 2022 in the Niagara Region. The 2023 Canada Winter Games will follow on Prince Edward Island.

La May Doan participated in four Olympic Games as a long-track speed skater.  She won gold in the 500m and bronze in the 1000m at the 1998 Olympiad in Nagano, then successfully defended her 500m crown at the Salt Lake City games in 2002.

According to the CGC, over 2,000 Canadians ages 13 and over took part in the survey, including 600 youth between the ages of 13-24.