Olympians empowers BIPOC girls to get involved in sport
Young girls in the Windsor-Essex region had the opportunity of a lifetime Saturday, learning from world class athletes.
Female students from grade four to 10 who identify as black, indigenous or people of colour (BIPOC), were invited to a special event filled with fun and fitness in hopes of encouraging them to get active.
“I’m the upcoming next generation of athletes in my opinion,” said Ella Steel Douglas.
The 14-year-old has been in track and field since she was seven.
“I love long jump, jumping, sprinting. I hope to be a 200 metre runner and to be a long jump Olympian,” she said.
Steel Douglas is one of 60 girls participating in the third annual ‘Girls Can’ summit hosted by Border City Athletics. Organizers say the event aims to get BIPOC girls involved in sport.
“One in four girls have dropped out of sport due to COVID, just not having the opportunity to be involved and having the camaraderie to be around other females has really stifled their development,” said Kurt Downes, president and head coach of Border City Athletics
“Get girls in sport and staying in sport is really important,” said Olympian Noelle Montcalm.
From basic skills to running drills, participants had the opportunity to learn from four Olympians and elite female athletes.
“I am a three time Olympian now and I want to inspire the girls and say ‘you can do what it takes’ because I did it,” said Crystal Emmanuel.
“Noelle, she was one of the first Olympians that I encountered, so to have that times three is super inspiring for myself,” said Steel Douglas.
Many parents loved the opportunity for their daughters.
“It’s good opportunity for sports for kids at this age. Hopefully in the future we see more black kids in women’s football or other sports too,” said Blessing Ayininoula.
Organizers hope to collect research at the event to understand the biggest hurdles some girls face when it comes to getting involved in sport.
“It’s ok to be unique, to have a different culture, you know to be from an area that’s socially, economically not fantastic, but you can still strive to be amazing, to be great, and you can do it through sport. Why not?” says Downes.
“Hopefully we can inspire a few of them to come on over to the sport world,” Emmanuel added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.