Speaker lineup unveiled for 2023 AthletesCAN Forum and 46th Canadian Sport Awards
TORONTO / VANCOUVER – AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is pleased to announce its lineup of speakers for the upcoming 2023 AthletesCAN Forum and 46th Canadian Sport Awards in Vancouver.
Kicking off the first in-person AthletesCAN Forum weekend since 2019, veteran CBC Sports host Scott Russell will helm this year’s celebration of trailblazers, athlete-centred accomplishments and initiatives – as the Canadian Sport Awards take place on the evening of Friday, Sept. 8, with five notable winners recognized at the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel in Richmond, B.C.
Saturday’s festivities will begin with a panel entitled Reshaping Governance in the Modern Era, featuring:
Chris de Sousa Costa – AthletesCAN Board Member, Karate
Amanda Fowler – Founder, Amanda Fowler Sports Law; Supervising Lawyer, Sport Solution Clinic
Dasha Peregoudova – Former AthletesCAN President, Taekwondo; Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP
Josh Vander Vies – Paralympian / Former AthletesCAN President, Boccia; Versus Law Corporation
Following the panel, Queen’s University adjunct assistant professor Shai Dubey of the Smith School of Business – the Official National Business Education partner of the Canadian Olympic Committee and a founding partner of Game Plan, Canada’s Total Athlete Wellness Program, helping athletes plan for success beyond sport – will lead an engagement session focusing on bridging the gap between athletes and National Sport Organizations.
In addition to this distinguished lineup of speakers, the 2023 AthletesCAN Forum will also include key athlete-centred roundtables and workshops exclusively for Athlete Representatives and Directors – with the ultimate goal of strengthening alignment across the Canadian Sport System, following significant reforms announced in May aimed at improving governance, transparency and accountability. The event is made possible in part by the generous contribution of Richmond Sport Hosting.
Nominees for each of the Canadian Sport Awards will also be released over the coming days.
Following Forum, a national digital campaign in partnership with CBC Sports along with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees for the People’s Choice Award for Most Trending Moment of the Year will take place in December, after the conclusion of the 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Further details surrounding the 2023 AthletesCAN Annual General Meeting and Board Election, slated for the fall, will be announced at a later date.
About the AthletesCAN Forum
The annual AthletesCAN Forum is the largest and most inclusive gathering of Canada’s national team athlete leaders outside of competition. It brings together Canada’s high-performance athletes and sport leaders to learn about the sport system, develop leadership skills, share ideas and network through interactive workshops, seminars and presentations.
About the Canadian Sport Awards
The Canadian Sport Awards were established in 1972 by modern day co-founders True Sport, Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sport, Canada Games Council, Commonwealth Sport Canada, and AthletesCAN to recognize and showcase excellence in Canadian sport. Since then, the CSA evolved over time to become the premier recognition event for national sporting excellence. After the 40th anniversary, the awards experienced a five-year hiatus. In 2017, AthletesCAN successfully acquired the rights to revive this staple event to once again bring together members of the sport community to honour the spirit, drive, and commitment of Canada’s international level athletes, coaches, volunteers, and sport leaders.
About AthletesCAN
AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world. As the voice of over 6,000 current and recently retired Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN membership spans 68 sports across the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan/Parapan American, and Commonwealth Games, and those currently funded by Sport Canada competing at Senior World Championships.
AthletesCAN ensures an athlete-centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture, through educational resources, support, training and professional development. Follow us on social @AthletesCAN and Join #TheCollective today.
For more information, please contact:
Alan Hudes
Manager, Communications and Sport Partnerships
AthletesCAN
613-526-4025 Ext. 224
ahudes@athletescan.ca