During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Canada sent 337 athletes to Paris to compete for international glory on the world’s most historic stage.
Canada finished 12th in the competition, earning nine gold, seven silver, and 11 bronze medals. Among silver medalists were Gaels rugby stars Chloe Daniels, Comm ’25, and Taylor Perry ArtSci ’24, who also helped Queen’s win gold in the 2024 OUA Championships.
Beyond rugby, many other Gaels were sent to compete in the games—including Claire Meadows, PheKin ’07, head coach of the Women’s Basketball team, who was an assistant coach for the German Women’s Basketball team, road cyclist Derek Gee, ArtSci ’25, and artistic swimmer Scarlett Finn, ArtSci ’27.
While the youthful talent selected to represent Canada at the Olympic Games undoubtedly illuminated the bright future of Canadian athletics, one question lingers in my mind: Where will these athletes study and train?
Rugby programs nationwide are a somewhat of an anomaly, so I have no doubt our nation’s top talent will remain in Canada to pursue their athletic and academic goals at schools like Queen’s or the University of British Columbia.
But for the athletes in other sports, such as track, I worry.
Men’s 10,000 metre and 5,000 metre 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, Grant Fisher, born in Calgary, AB. moved to the U.S. to pursue his athletic dreams in a more developed and ive environment. After studying and competing at Stanford University, setting numerous American records, he eventually chose to represent Team USA at the past few Olympics and world championships.
While Fisher’s choice of a more sustainable, and likely, path to the top of his sport cannot be criticized, it does raise concerns about what Canada can do to make itself a better home for developing athletes.
The United States has found a way to commodify almost everything related to college sports. For years, it has made brands out of its student-athletes and recently found ways to help its athletes capitalize on their early successes with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, which were legalized in 2021.
While this change is good for the athletes—allowing them to receive compensation for their talent and hard work—it jeopardizes the landscape of sport in North America, making it more challenging for countries like Canada to compete for top talent. Canadian athletes are increasingly drawn to the U.S. collegiate system, where they can benefit from lucrative NIL deals, world-class facilities, and a high level of competition.
Former Queen’s athlete and Kingston native Michael Kelvin II, ArtSci ’25, is just one of a list of athletes who are leaving Canadian universities for more promising opportunities north of the border. But how can we create these opportunities in Canada?
The truth is, I don’t know. I’m no business major, and I know that transforming the landscape of Canadian U SPORTS to mimic that of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) would take generations to complete and may not even be something Canada would want.
As a nation, we likely won’t be able to compete with the NIL deals offered by prestigious NCAA programs. However, by sensationalizing sport, and the talent we foster from campus-to-campus nationwide, we may be able to grow Canadian U SPORTS into a commodity. Slowly, athlete-by-athlete, we could retain the unbelievable talent grown right here in Canada.
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