TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--21-year-old Western Mustangs football player Garrett Holmes loves the sport he competes in but recognizes that in a COVID-19 world there are many more important things in life than athletics.
That being said, he also recognizes that university/college athletics is an important part of many people’s lives and futures as the world slowly moves to a return to some semblance of “normalcy” in the new reality that is COVID-19.
Which is why Garrett is launching the Canadian Student-Athlete Association now, in the midst of this crisis.
“COVID-19 has changed university/college sports in Canada forever. Suddenly. That is the new reality. In this new reality we’ve already seen a first wave of decisions made that are dramatically impacting student-athletes lives, careers and futures. Unfortunately, as we have also seen, those decisions have been made with little or no input from student-athletes, and whether one agrees with the decisions that have already been made or not, more important decisions are going to need to be made in the future. Student-athletes need a voice at the table in those decisions. The Canadian Student-Athlete Association was created to be that voice,” commented Mr. Holmes.
Mr. Holmes has been working on the launch of the Canadian Student-Athlete Association since June 8th, the day USports announced the cancellation of six fall championships. Since then he has spoken with the Chair of USports, reached out to the leadership of the CCAA, Canada West, OUA, AUS, and RSEQ, and has made contact with the Ministers responsible for sport in each of the provinces/territories as he begins building the organization.
The Canadian Student-Athlete Association has also sent a comment letter asking the USports Board of Directors to revisit their decision to rule that it will not provide an exemption for the over 300 football players who turn 25 years old prior to the 2021 season, even though they are missing the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19.
About the Canadian Student-Athlete Association
The Canadian Student-Athlete Association’s mission is to be the voice of Canadian student-athletes, and to make that voice heard in representing student-athletes' best interests in the constantly evolving world of sports.
