Sports in Canada
Sports in Canada consist of a wide variety of games. The roots of organized sports in Canada date back to the 1770s. Canada's official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse. Other major professional games include curling, basketball, baseball, association football, and Canadian football. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by numerous "Halls of Fame" and museums, such as Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Canada shares several major professional sports leagues with the United States. Canadian teams in these leagues include seven franchises in the National Hockey League, as well as three Major League Soccer teams and one team in each of Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. Other popular professional competitions include the Canadian Football League, National Lacrosse League, the Canadian Premier League, and the various curling tournaments hosted by Curling Canada. Canadians identified hockey as their preferred sport for viewing, followed by soccer and then basketball.
Swimming was the most common, reported sport by over one-third of Canadians in 2023. This was closely followed by cycling and running. The popularity of specific sports varies across racialized groups; in general, the Canadian-born population was more likely to have participated in winter sports such as ice hockey, skating, skiing and snowboarding, compared with immigrants, who were more likely to have played soccer, tennis or basketball. Sports such as golf, volleyball, badminton, bowling, and martial arts are also widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels.
Canada has enjoyed success both at the Winter Olympics and at the Summer Olympics—though, particularly, the Winter Games as a "winter sports nation"—and has hosted several high-profile international sporting events such as the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games. The country is scheduled to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States.
Statistics
Participation
Approximately half of Canadians aged 15 and older participate in sports, with 55% reporting involvement in activities like soccer, ice hockey, swimming, and running. Men's participation surpasses women's, with notable differences among specific cultural groups. For instance, among Filipino and Black populations, participation is significantly higher for men than women. Korean, Chinese, and Arab Canadians had higher sport participation rates than the general population, with 62% of Koreans and Chinese, and 60% of Arabs participating.The most popular sport varied by gender and racialized groups, with swimming being favoured by women, while men preferred cycling. Overall swimming is the most popular sport, cited by 35%, followed closely by cycling and running. While swimming is most popular among the non-racialized population, running is favoured by racialized groups - Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Black.
Canadian-born individuals showed more interest in winter sports, such as ice skating, skiing and snowboarding, compared to immigrants, who preferred sports like soccer, tennis or basketball. Hockey is the leading sport among individuals aged 18 to 24, with a participation rate of 21.8%. It is closely succeeded by basketball, which holds a rate of 17.6%, while soccer ranks third with a participation rate of 12.4%. Soccer is the leading sport among young Canadians, with 16% of those aged three to 17 participating in organized soccer. Sports such as baseball, golf, curling, volleyball, badminton, bowling, and martial arts are also widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels.
The primary motivations for participating in sports were physical health and fitness, fun and recreation, and mental health benefits. Among those who did not participate in sports, the lack of time was the most common reason given. For racialized individuals, 47% cited no time as a barrier to participation, compared to 27% of non-racialized and Indigenous individuals. Other reasons included lack of interest, cost, and access to facilities.
Discrimination
In 2023, 25% of Canadians saw racism and discrimination as a problem in community sports. Among those who played sports in the last five years, 18% faced or witnessed unfair treatment. Lesbian and gay Canadians reported discrimination at 42%, compared to 17% of heterosexuals. Young people aged 15 to 24 were more likely to experience these issues at 30%, while only 7% of those aged 65 and older reported similar experiences.Racialized individuals reported 26% of unfair treatment, higher than the 15% for non-racialized groups. The highest rates came from Black, Filipino, and Korean individuals. The main cause of discrimination was race or skin colour, followed by physical appearance and ethnicity. Most incidents involved participants and spectators rather than officials. Many cases go unreported, with 32% of incidents never reported and some witnesses participating in the discrimination.
Viewership
In a 2023 national survey, Canadians identified hockey as their preferred sport for viewing. Approximately 22% of participants indicated a preference for hockey, establishing it as the leading choice. Subsequently, 12% stated that they neither watch nor follow sports, while 10% expressed a preference for soccer and 8% favoured basketball.Respondents from Ontario exhibited a wider array of favourite sports compared to other regions. Regionally, individuals in the Atlantic and Prairie provinces demonstrated a significant inclination towards hockey. Hockey is the most popular sport in Alberta, with 44.7% of Albertans saying they follow it closely. Quebec comes next at 37.9%, followed by Atlantic Canada at 37.7% - despite no National Hockey League team there. In British Columbia, 24.3% follow hockey, and 13% follow soccer. In other prairie provinces, 25% follow hockey, while 15.7% follow football. In Ontario, 24.3% follow hockey, and 11.7% follow baseball - the only province with a Major League Baseball team. A gender analysis revealed that 54% of males opted for one of the leading four sports hockey, soccer, basketball, or baseball whereas only 35% of females did so. This suggests that women are inclined to appreciate a more diverse assortment of sports.
Generational disparities were also evident in the survey findings. Members of Generation X and Baby Boomers showed a greater likelihood of selecting hockey, with 25% and 24% respectively, juxtaposed with Gen Z and Millennials at 13% and 17%. Baby Boomers exhibited a higher propensity to claim that they do not watch any sports compared to other age cohorts. Additionally, Gen Z displayed a stronger preference for soccer than other generations. Basketball emerged as a favoured choice for approximately 17% of Gen Z and Millennials, while only 8% of Generation X and 2% of Baby Boomers selected it.
History
Multi-sport events
Major multi-sport events with Canadian participation, or that have taken place in Canada, are the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Canada Games, World Championships in Athletics, Pan American Games, and the Universiade. Others include the North American Indigenous Games, the World Police and Fire Games, and the Gay Games.Canada Games
The Canada Games is a high-level multi-sport event with held every two years in Canada, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. Athletes are strictly amateur only, and represent their province or territory. Since their inception, the Canada Games have played a prominent role in developing some of Canada's premier athletes, including Lennox Lewis, Catriona Le May Doan, Hayley Wickenheiser, Sidney Crosby, Martin Brodeur, Steve Nash, Suzanne Gaudet and David Ling. The Games were first held in 1967 in Quebec City as part of Canada's Centennial celebrations. Similar events are held on the provincial level, such as the annual BC Games.Commonwealth Games
Canada is one of only six nations to have attended every Commonwealth Games, and hosted the first ever British Empire Games in 1930 in Hamilton, Ontario. Canada also hosted the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta, and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia. Canada ranks third in the all-time medal tally of Commonwealth Games.Olympic Games
Canada has competed at every Olympic Games, except for the first games in 1896 and the boycotted games in 1980. Canada has previously hosted the games three times, at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.At the summer games, the majority of Canada's medals come from the sports of athletics, aquatics, rowing and canoeing/kayaking. In the post-boycott era, Canada's medal total ranks 19th in the world, with the highest rank of 11th in 1992 and the lowest of 24th in 2000.
At the winter games, Canada is usually one of the top nations in terms of medals won. Canada is traditionally strong in the sports of ice hockey, speed skating, figure skating and most of the national men's and women's curling teams have won medals since the sport was added to the Olympic program.
Because Canada failed to win any gold medals at the 1976 Summer and 1988 Winter games, soon after Vancouver-Whistler was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics several organizations including Sport Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee began collaborations to launch "Own the Podium – 2010", a development program to help Canada earn the most medals at the 2010 Games. Canada did not win the most total medals at the Vancouver Olympics, but did win the most gold medals, with 14, the most of any country at a single Winter Olympics.
The National Sport School in Calgary, founded 1994, is the first Canadian high school designed exclusively for Olympic-calibre athletes.