Canadians to connect through #PowerOfSport - Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canadian Olympic Committee, Own the Podium, and CBC Sports launch new initiative to share positive impact of sport on Canadian communities

(Ottawa/Toronto, Ont.) – The sport community across the country knows the value that participation in sport and physical activity at all levels – from the playground to the podium – holds for creating healthy, vibrant communities. Alongside Canada’s national sport organizations, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Own the Podium, and CBC Sports today launched a new grassroots social initiative called #PowerOfSport to illustrate the importance and widespread positive impact of sport for all Canadians.

#PowerofSport encourages Canadians to participate in physical activity, to enjoy being outdoors and being active. With COVID-19 shutting down many recreational sport leagues, programs, and facilities throughout the nation over the past year, many people have been missing their regular sport activities. Canadians have shown their resiliency in finding different ways to move and play, such as going for walks and hikes, skating on outdoor rinks and tobogganing on neighbourhood hills, and using online yoga or workout classes. Canada’s top athletes have also been creative in keeping up their training, doing things like creating mini gyms in their garages and living rooms, or even building their own pool like Para swimmer Danielle Kisser.

The pandemic has also shone a brighter light on the many ways sport and physical activity are a critical positive influence on both physical and mental health. Sport is part of the fabric of Canadian society, and sport at all levels will ultimately play a huge part in helping our nation recover and heal from COVID-19. It will help restore and ignite community connections, whether it’s reuniting with one’s recreational basketball team, kids returning to the ice for the minor hockey season, or being able to try a new sport at the local community centre.

The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer will also bring sport to the forefront, with Canadian athletes achieving their sporting dreams on the international stage while inspiring youth around the country to develop and pursue their own goals.

Running throughout the year, #PowerOfSport will unite storytelling efforts in the greater sport community, connecting different stories and content across various mediums that share the positive effect sport can have on people within their communities. A grassroots initiative that will organically expand as more stories are shared, all Canadians are encouraged to join the conversation by sharing how they are safely participating in physical activity right now and what sport means to them, posting photos or videos on social media with the hashtag #PowerOfSport.

For more information:
Canadian Paralympic Committee
Own the Podium
Canadian Olympic Committee
CBC Sports

About Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) is the national sport governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is committed to excellence in the development, support and promotion of wheelchair basketball programs and services for all Canadians from grassroots to high performance. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem around the world for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last seven Paralympic Games. For more information visit www.wheelchairbasketball.ca.