Come together: Why the Canada Games may be more important than ever | CBC Sports

The Canada Games have brought people together in the past, but this year’s edition comes at a time when unity may be as important as competition itself.

The country’s biggest domestic sporting event begins on Friday in St. John’s, where more than 4,200 young athletes will represent their province or territory across 19 different sports.

Canada Games Council chair Catriona Le May Doan said the multi-sport event is about more than what happens on the field of play.

“It’s an Olympics and a Paralympics at a national level, [and] it’s high-performance sport coming together representing provinces and territories,” she said. “But it’s about a community showcasing their spirit, their people, and art and culture, while one of the highest levels of sport is happening in a multi-sport fashion.”

Athletic competition isn’t the only way the 2025 Canada Games will look to unite the country, which has been the goal since the very first Games in 1967. The multi-sport event began as a nation-building project with the motto “unity through sport.”

‘The Games are so much more than sport’

Le May Doan, a two-time Olympic champion speed skater, is also a three-time Canada Games participant. She said her time representing Team Saskatchewan taught her about the heritage and culture of other Canadians, and that remains a vital lesson for Canada Games athletes in 2025.

“That’s what it’s about, it’s about learning about our country. And it’s about learning about it through sport, that’s what’s incredible,” she said. “It’s about Indigenous nations and about learning about the different nations that are situated in various provinces and territories.

“It’s about uniting, which – now, more than ever – we know we need, but we do that through sport. But the Games are so much more than sport.”

Stream live action from the 2025 Canada Games on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Check the broadcast schedule for full details.

It’s also about finding common ground during a time where the term “51st state” has been used repeatedly by the U.S. president. Le May Doan sees unity in the simple act of athletes gathering for the opening ceremony.

“The fact that we are coming together, that doesn’t happen a lot. It doesn’t happen that all provinces and territories enter one stadium together.

“Now, more than ever, our country is saying, ‘hey, we are an amazing country,’ because everything we’re going through, [whether that’s] conflict around the country, conflict with the U.S.,” Le May Doan said. “We’re like, ‘how do we work better together?’ That goes beyond sport.”

Le May Doan sees the Canada Games as a way to overcome cultural and geographic differences because athletes bring a lot more to the Games than just their sports equipment.

“What we’re celebrating here is sport, but we’re also set celebrating culture. Every province and territory, they have not just the athletes and the coaches and the mission team, but they have families as well,” she said. “They have their culture and beliefs that they bring with them [and] that is celebrated at the Games. It’s about understanding.”

Atmosphere of inclusion, understanding

That principle of understanding also extends across all ability levels at the Games. Le May Doan believes the atmosphere is beneficial for all young athletes – and not just the ones striving to become the country’s next generation of Olympians.

“It’s not just the Olympics, because this, for a lot of them, is an experience that you don’t get at that higher level. They’re in the same village or on the same team as athletes with a physical disability and athletes with an intellectual disability.

“That doesn’t ever happen, that those three come together and they’re in the same competition. Now, that teaches coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes a lot, and it’s about inclusion.”

All athletes will compete under the banner of their respective province or territory, which brings with it another aspect of unity.

“It’s high-performance sport – because this is the goal of so many athletes – but it’s also community outreach, because the pride of representing your province or territory is almost hard to describe,” Le May Doan said. “It’s sort of educational in [a] way, while competing at that highest level, while staying in an environment that’s so unique. You’re staying with your province or territory, you’re eating [together] in a cafeteria.

“This is different and it’s powerful, it’s intimidating, it’s beautiful, and it’s exciting.”

Olympic sprinter Audrey Leduc knows all about that feeling. The Canadian women’s record holder in 100 metres competed at both the 2017 and 2022 Canada Games, the latter of which saw her win three gold medals.

The Gatineau, Que., native said she enjoyed competing at the Canada Games because of the atmosphere they create.

“It’s nice to be able to not just be in track and field – it’s like your whole province is behind you,” Leduc said. “You’re seeing all the athletes, and it’s not just your sport, you have the whole nation that is competing – it’s special.”

Savannah Sutherland was also at those 2022 Canada Games in the Niagara region, and she credits them, and being back among Team Saskatchewan, as a turning point in her career.

The Borden, Sask., native – now an Olympian and two-time NCAA outdoor champion in the women’s 400m hurdles – was coming off a disappointing freshman year of college at the University of Michigan.

“I kind of went into the Canada Games a little bit skeptical and not very pleased with myself and how track was going. [I was] just kind of burnt out and was ready for the season to end.

“Then I ended up having a really amazing time at Canada Games…and having a really amazing time with the team, and that kind of re-centred me a little bit. Especially being back on Team Saskatchewan after being away for a while.

“I kind of grounded myself a little bit more and I ended up winning and having probably my best race of the entire season,” Sutherland said. “I think that really turned things around for me. That was definitely a turning point in my career, because the next year I went on to win nationals and NCAA outdoors.”

Next generation of athletes and leaders

Both Leduc and Sutherland went on to compete at the Olympics, joining countless other Canada Games alumni to do so. But it’s not just the next generation of Olympians that get the benefits of being at a Canada Games.

Le May Doan said she recently spoke with three alumni that told her that their involvement with the Canada Games helped them in their careers, both inside and outside of sport. She said that a Canada Games experience lasts a lifetime and can benefit everyone.

“It’s not just those 17 days of the Games. These are life lessons so those athletes that you’re going to see in the field of play, we know the leadership skills that they learn,” she said. “They’re our next leaders, so we can’t take this lightly, like ‘this is just sport.’ These are our leaders of the future.

“Now, more than ever, we need to be focused on that – because we need great leaders.”

WATCH l Canadian soccer player Desiree Scott explains why Canada Games are Olympic pathway:

CanWNT soccer’s Desiree Scott explains why the Canada Games is an Olympic pathway

The Olympic champion for the CanWNT soccer team reflects on her time competing for Manitoba at the Canada Games and the impact the Games had on her career.