The Canada Games have been an important part of the country’s athletic landscape since they began in 1967. It’s Canada’s largest domestic multi-sport event and often the pinnacle of its athletes’ careers.
For others, it’s a key stepping stone on the path to becoming an Olympian.
That includes the four athletes honoured by the Canada Games on Friday in St. John’s. Diana Matheson, twin sisters Sharon and Shirley Firth, and Lennox Lewis – joined by builder Ajay Patel and distinguished alum Jennifer Bishop – were officially inducted into the Canada Games Hall of Honour.
Matheson, Lewis, and the Firth twins all represented Canada at the Olympic Games, and their journey was shaped by their time as Canada Games athletes.
The Canada Games were a launchpad for Matheson, who competed at age 16 for Team Ontario at the 2001 edition in London, Ont. Just two years later, she was on the Canadian women’s national soccer team and playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“The fact that I was playing up with a group of players that were older and better than me at that time prepared me as an athlete to go to the next level. [The Canada Games were] absolutely a big, pivotal point in my journey,” she said.
Matheson spent 17 years representing Canada with the national team, winning two Olympic bronze medals along the way. She said the Canada Games have had a huge impact in her life, and those of many other athletes.
“The Canada Games [are] special, and you can talk to so many Canadian athletes, former athletes, present athletes, and they’ll tell you what these Games meant to them: It has an impact. It creates the next generation of leaders, it invests in sport infrastructure, which is so needed in our country, and it’s unifying like nothing else.”
Sharon Firth competed for the Northwest Territories at the 1971 and 1975 Canada Winter Games with her sister, Shirley, who passed away in 2013. The Gwich’in twin sisters from Aklavik, N.W.T., were among the first female Indigenous athletes to represent Canada at the Olympics and part of the country’s first Olympic women’s cross-country ski team.
The Firths are also the only Canadian women skiers to have competed in four consecutive Winter Olympic Games (1972, 1976, 1980, and 1984).
Sharon Firth said the Canada Games were a key reason why she and her sister reached the highest level of their sport.
“It’s really exciting because the Canada Games is a stepping stone to being on the national team, on the Olympic team, on the World Cup team, [or] world championship team,” she said. “You just move forward because it’s such amazing events out there. [The Canada Games] help you to be very disciplined and sports carry your teaching throughout life.”
Lewis won boxing gold for Team Ontario at the 1983 Canada Games. He went on to Olympic Games for Canada, winning the super heavyweight gold medal in 1988.
“Representing Ontario at the Canada Games was a major milestone in my early career,” Lewis said in a release. “It taught me discipline, focus, and gave me the chance to test myself and grow as a competitor.
“Being inducted into the Canada Games Hall of Honour is a full-circle moment. It’s a reminder of where the journey began, and it’s an honour to be recognized by the very platform that helped shape my path — not just as a boxer, but as a young man with big dreams.”
The events kick off Aug. 8-25 in St. John’s, N.L. and will be streamed on CBC Sports and CBC Gem.
What is it about the Canada Games that helps athletes reach that next level as high-performance athletes? Matheson believes the Games simulate what to expect from an atmosphere like the Olympics.
“The Olympics are like nothing else because it’s multi-sport, and it’s chaos, and it’s not just tailored to you and your sport,” Matheson said. “You’re part of this wider system, around so many other people and you get to cheer on different sports. You get to replicate [the Olympics] at this really grassroots level with Canadians across Canada.”
Stream live action from the 2025 Canada Games on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Check the broadcast schedule for full details.
It’s not only the multi-sport aspect that young athletes get out of their Canada Games experience, according to Canada Games Council Chair Catriona Le May Doan. The three-time Canada Games athlete and two-time Olympic champion said the Canada Games are an introduction to the stress of performing at an infrequent event while representing something bigger than themselves.
“For most athletes, it’s their one chance at a Canada Games. So, it’s dealing with pressure – [the] pressure that they mostly put on themselves. Pressure that they feel wearing their province or territory’s colours, just like it is when you represent your country’s colours,” Le May Doan said.
Current Canadian Olympians also credit the Canada Games with helping them reach their potential, and say that the 2025 Games can do the same for its athletes.
Olympic sprinter Audrey Leduc has some advice for this year’s athletes in St. John’s – make every moment count.
“Enjoy [the Games], it’s going to pass by so fast. You need to enjoy every minute and every second of it because it’s gonna fly by,” Leduc said. “All the experiences you’re going to get from the Games are gonna be helpful in your personal life, but also in your athletic life.”
The Gatineau, Que., native won three gold medals at the 2022 Canada Games, but said she put a lot of pressure on herself to perform. Leduc found her experience in the multi-sport environment helpful in managing that stress.
“I think it can help you if you’re stressed – just learning to live with the stress during the day [and] to be around other athletes from other sports.”
Fellow Olympian Savannah Sutherland said she learned a lot about how being part of a team could be part of her support system during a competition.
The Borden, Sask. hurdler took home gold at the 2022 Canada Games and said her advice for the 2025 athletes would be to relish the chance to compete for your province.
“The biggest thing is just compete with your heart, turn your mind off and just run,” Sutherland said. “It’s a really special thing to be able to represent your province. I have a lot of pride in that, still.
“So, compete with your heart, and you have those people at your back supporting you always, and let them carry you through and just go do what you do.”
Watch CBC Sports’ Anastasia Bucsis test athletes’ knowledge on the Canada Games.
