Barriers to sport in N.L. help explain why so few athletes from the province make it to Summer Games

For Newfoundland and Labrador, the Summer Olympics is more like the no-lympics.

Every province is represented at the 2024 Olympic Games, except for Newfoundland and Labrador, where athletes haven't made the cut in over two decades.

Paralympic athletes frequently represent N.L. in both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. Katarina Roxon from Kippens, N.L., has been named to the Canadian national swim team for her fifth Paralympic Games and is set to compete in Paris. Meanwhile, two-time Paralympic silver medallist, Liam Hickey of St. John's has competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, playing Para hockey and wheelchair basketball.

But Phil Graham was the last athlete to compete in the Summer Olympic Games. From Corner Brook, Graham rowed in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.

Though many athletes have tried to qualify for the Summer Games, those involved in Newfoundland and Labrador's sporting community say athletes in the province aren't on an equal playing field compared to those in other parts of the country.

The main barriers are finances and travel.

'Everything is bigger on the mainland'

Catherine Barrett is an artistic swimmer who trained with Team Canada for two and a half years in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It wasn't without sacrifice. Barrett moved to Toronto at the age of 14 to focus on training. Her parents stayed in N.L.

Catherine Barrett is a former Team Canada Artistic Swimmer. She had to move from N.L. to Toronto at age 14 to focus on her training. (Peter Cowan/CBC)

"I spent all of my high school years living with a teammate and what we call a billet family and was able to continue training there with a variety of teams," Barrett said.

Sports NL, the artistic swimming community, and her family were pillars of support, she said. It wasn't an ideal circumstance, but it was necessary if she wanted to reach the Olympic level.

"Everything is bigger on the mainland teams," Barrett said. "While we have a really enthusiastic community here, and I wouldn't have gone forward without them, the next step for me was to get up there and get exposed to a larger group of athletes, larger group of coaches and more facilities, gyms … with larger amounts of staff."

Barrett competed on the international level between 2015 and 2021. She never made it to the Tokyo Games but spent years competing internationally.

She now coaches artistic swimming in St. John's. The barriers she experienced before moving away remain the same for those she coaches.

"It's finances. That is a really large barrier in sport in general," Barrett said. "That barrier of getting out of the province, geographically, we have to fly or boat out of here. And it's a huge financial commitment for families."

High cost, lack of resources

Jeremy Ivey is in Paris to coach Jill Moffatt and Jenny Casson, Team Canada's lightweight women's double sculls duo.

While not an Olympian himself, Ivey is from Newfoundland and Labrador and recognizes the barriers at play.

Newfoundland and Labrador may not have any athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but Jeremy Ivey is representing the province as a rowing coach. (Submitted by Jeremy Ivey)

He rowed in eight Royal St. John's regattas and, in 2001, rowed in the Canada Games.

"I had a really good experience rowing in Newfoundland and I truly loved it," he said.

After studying at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) for a year, Ivey received a scholarship for Mercyhurst University in Erie, Penn., and continued his rowing career in the United States.

MUN doesn't have a rowing team, and Ivey says the cost of training on the mainland is high.

"What it costs for us is always going to be greater. There are some incredibly talented young Newfoundlanders [and Labradorians], but there are barriers with literally being on an island," he said.

"Whereas if you're growing up in Southern Ontario, you can just drive into Toronto, or you can enrol your kid in a top level camp."

Ivey says it's not impossible for an athlete to represent N.L. in the summer Olympics — but there's also a lack of resources.

For example, N.L. doesn't have a 2000m rowing course.

Dave Hancock is hopeful the 2025 Canada Games will inspire children to get involved in sports, potentially producing future Summer Olympians. (Peter Cowan/CBC)

2025 Canada Games provide hope

Dave Hancock, a professor at MUN's School of Human Kinetics and Recreation says that with the 2025 Canada Summer Games a year away, he expects N.L.'s 24-year absence from the Summer Olympics could end — once the resources are in place.

There are many construction projects and upgrades to existing facilities underway that officials say will be ready when athletes from across Canada descend upon the St. John's area next August.

"One of the biggest things we'll get is that new track facility, and track and field is a sport that is open to a number of athletes regardless of income. It's accessible," Hancock said, noting there are also rugby and soccer facilities being built.

He hopes the Canada Games and new facilities will inspire kids to try sports.

"For kids who aren't participating, they might look at some of these athletes and say, 'You know what? I want to do that one day,' " Hancock said. "I would say it certainly puts us in the right direction to go breaking that drought, that's for sure."

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