It’s an honour to compete for Team Canada–ask just about any athlete who’s done it. And competing at this year’s FISU World University Games will be no exception. But what is different? Each of the 50 athletes named to the team will be scrounging up a whopping CA$5,400 to fund their trip and secure their spot on the roster.
For most of these athletes, FISU will be their debut in the Team Canada singlet–and many see it as their only guaranteed chance to represent their country on the global stage. The event is also the next-largest multi-sport games to the Olympics, providing one of the best opportunities for young, aspiring Canadians to gain Olympic experience. So, it’s easy to understand why, despite the large price tag, these athletes are so driven to attend.
A few months ago, when athletes declared their interest to compete at FISU, U Sports was upfront about the trip being self-funded and provided an estimate for costs, which will cover athlete travel, accommodations, food, uniforms and the podium kit. Some FISU Games in the past have required some funding, but this year’s trip is the priciest yet.
FISU Games 2019. Photo: FISU Media
Covering the costs
As all of these athletes were university attendees for the 2024-2025 school year, many are only employed part-time, at most. With countless other university expenses–tuition, rent and varsity fees–many of these athletes have fallen back on fundraising methods, like launching fundraising pages, to cover their costs. Other elite athletes simply turned down the opportunity due to the steep fee.
McMaster Marauder middle-distance athlete Alec Purnell says he is excited and proud to be representing Team Canada for the first time. “I’ve been running competitively since elementary school, and over the years I’ve been able to achieve a lot in the sport,” he told Canadian Running. “But the one thing that’s always been missing from my resume was making a national team and getting the chance to represent Canada on the world stage.”
Purnell admitted that paying his own way onto the team is no small ask. “As a student-athlete who trains 12–15 hours a week, is in school full-time, and works a part-time job, finances are definitely something I have to be careful with, and this trip is a major expense,” he said. McMaster University and Hamilton’s Harbour Track Club will both be contributing to the subsidize the cost, and he’ll launch a GoFundMe for family and friends to chip in. Other schools, including the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and University of Guelph will also be helping their athletes cover these expenses.
For Tyra Boug, a hurdler and sprinter for the Western Mustangs, FISU will mark her second national team; she also represented Canada at the 2019 Pan Am U20 Championships. “Having known people who have been to FISU before, I knew this was going to be an incredible experience,” she told Canadian Running. She’ll be joined by 11 of her current Mustang teammates and Western’s head coach, Vickie Croley.
“When I heard FISU was going to be self-funded, it discouraged me from declaring interest,” Boug said. “I did not think it would be feasible for me in this case.” After discussing her options with coaches, she decided to declare interest anyway and look into fundraising options. After all, making the FISU team had been one of her goals for her entire university career.
But not everyone could make it work. Other elite athletes, like multi-time U Sports champion and record holder Max Davies of the University of Guelph, were deterred from the event entirely because of the cost. “It’s so expensive especially for a university student,” he told Canadian Running. “But I understand why people are paying to go–it’s an amazing opportunity.”
The first half of payment must be submitted on June 6, and the remaining half by July 4.
What’s changed?
So, here’s the big question: why isn’t Athletics Canada (AC), the nation’s governing body for track and field, organizing and funding the trip?
This year, AC will have two primary focuses: the National Track and Field Championships, which falls shortly after FISU on July 30-Aug. 3, and the Junior (U23) Pan Am Games from Aug. 9-23.
“While the age categories [for FISU and Junior Pan Ams] are not identical, the objectives are similar, offering a development opportunity for next-generation athletes,” AC told Canadian Running.
“We were pleased to see U Sports take the initiative to organize an athletics team for World University Games, as it provides another international competition option for Canadian athletes,” AC said, stating they have not been involved in any of the planning or decision-making processes.
Because Team Canada is organized by U Sports, the entire team of athletes and coaches will be solely participants of U Sports. Past teams have had athletes and coaches from the NCAA and NAIA level too–and the decision to leave these athletes out has received a mix of responses. U Sports also organizes the FISU teams for hockey, and has previously entered basketball and volleyball teams. These teams all follow a pay-for-play model.
“This is an opportunity for student-athletes who choose to stay, train, and study in Canada to represent Canada on the world stage,” U Sports told Canadian Running.
The bigger problem
But what happens when those athletes can’t afford the opportunity? If their school isn’t one of the ones that can offer support? Or when top athletes go to the NCAA to have more financial support in athletics, only to be left off national teams altogether? Shouldn’t there be regulations in place to ensure athletes from across the country get equal support from their universities?
And then there’s the size of the FISU team: 50 athletes–more than AC sent to the Paris Olympics. Could a smaller, more focused team have made fundraising easier for everyone?
As Canadian Olympian John Gay puts it, FISU is the “best preparation there is for an Olympic Games.” So why isn’t Canadian athletics doing more to get its best athletes there?
