OTTAWA – Five-time Olympic medallist Kylie Masse has joined the 2025 High Performance Athlete Advisory Council alongside a group of nine other athletes from both the Olympic and Paralympic programs. Composed of active and retired high-performance swimmers, the council acts as a critical conduit between Swimming Canada and its athletes.
Masse – who has been on the national team for more than 10 years and was part of the 2022-2023 council – brings a wealth of experience and insight to the group. Her addition reflects Swimming Canada’s commitment to ensuring athlete voices are at the forefront of decision-making.
“I am looking forward to being a part of the athlete council again,” said the veteran, who became Canada’s most decorated world championship swimmer earlier this year. “With so many incredible past and present athletes on board, I hope to contribute to many conversations and facilitate change. I hope to aid Swimming Canada and our sporting organizations to new heights, through plans that incorporate the athletes’ opinions.”
“We are pleased to add Kylie Masse to this year’s council,” said Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins. “She has been an outstanding representative of our sport and brings tremendous character and insight to the role.”
The 2025 council includes four women and six men. Co-chairs Javier Acevedo, a three-time Olympian, and Zack Zona, a Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, will continue to lead the council for a second year.
“It feels good to be bringing this council back together for another term,” said Acevedo. “We worked hard last year, with the big accomplishment being the Olympic & Paralympic Trials. We voiced our opinions to Swimming Canada leadership, allowing us to have trials in Toronto. It was a big decision-making process. We’ll always have athletes’ needs at heart.”
“I am excited to continue in this role being a voice for athletes,” said Zona. “It is great to continue to work with everyone. The addition of Kylie, who is obviously an incredible athlete, will bring a lot of valuable experience to our discussions. As a group last year, we really pushed for performance to be a priority around the trials relocation and know we will continue to provide athletes’ perspectives to help Swimming Canada in decision-making and feedback processes.”
The Council’s purpose is to provide constructive feedback to the organization and advocate for the athletes’ best interests. This feedback supports the strategic objectives outlined in Swimming Canada’s strategic plan.
New for 2025, the council will implement staggered terms to ensure continuity and smooth transitions in leadership.
Beginning in the fall, five positions will be appointed to two-year terms, including the top three athletes with the most votes in an election by their peers, with one representative from each of the Olympic and Paralympic programs. The remaining four positions will serve one-year terms. This approach allows for consistent representation while fostering succession planning.
“The athletes have driven this change to the terms of reference, including term limits longer than one year and alternating terms,” said Paulins. “The athletes felt this was important, and we are listening to their voices.”
Returning board member, 2019 Universiade swimmer Matt Dans, will be involved with the council for another year as the direct link between the high-performance team and the board. He will serve as communication liaison.
As Swimming Canada looks ahead, the 2025 High Performance Athlete Advisory Council will continue its vital work of ensuring athletes’ needs remain a priority and that their feedback informs key organizational decisions.
2025 High Performance Athlete Advisory Council Members:
Javier Acevedo
Alex Axon
Jeremy Bagshaw
Josh Liendo
Kylie Masse
Rachel Nicol
Finlay Knox
Tess Routliffe
Abi Tripp
Zach Zona