We are thrilled to announce the next feature in our ongoing blog series, Breaking Barriers:…
KAITLYN’S SPORT STORIES: JUNE 30, 2025
In this edition, we catch up on McGill University’s latest commitment to women’s sports, this time advancing research and sports science for women athletes. We also take a look at the Canadian Women’s National Team and Toronto Tempo’s Pride Month celebrations, as well as Faith Kipyegon’s pursuit of a running world record, with Nike’s investment in her historic moment. Lastly, we highlight local events in Ontario, including Girls Can Play Day and the Ontario Mega Girls Baseball Tournament.
MCGILL UNIVERSITY IS UPPING ITS WOMEN’S SPORTS GAME OFF THE FIELD
Two McGill alumni, Monica Leitham Hantho (BEd ‘81) and Mark Hantho (BComm ‘81), have donated $1.25 million to McGill’s women’s athletics and the advancement of female athletic performance at the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute (SASSI).
Named the Hantho Initiative for Women’s Athletics, the gift will support a collaboration between McGill’s Athletics and Recreation department and the Faculty of Education.
Women’s sports research and science still lag behind. SASSI director Benoit Gentil noted that sports often treats women as biologically equivalent to men, which is inaccurate. The initiative aims to build evidence-based support focused on women in sport.
McGill has long supported women’s sports. In 2018, alumni, Sheryl Kerr (B’Com ‘67) and David Kerr (BSc ‘65) donated $3.5 million to establish the McGill Women in Sport (WiS) Program, increasing full-time coaching staff and improving the overall female student-athletes’ experience through additional resources and support.
canada’s women’s national team celebrates pride and a home game win
Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team secured a 4-1 win over Costa Rica at BMO Field in a special Pride Day match. The evening celebrated the 2SLGBTQ+ community, including kits with rainbow-coloured numbers, activations, and celebrating Diana Matheson’s Canada Soccer 2025 Hall of Fame induction.
A key highlight was the presence of Northern Super League players on the national team. This signals how a strong domestic league will build depth and prepare Canada Soccer for even more long-term international success.
TORONTO TEMPO AT THE HELM WITH MONTH-LONG PRIDE CELEBRATIONS
The Toronto Tempo marked Pride Month through initiatives focused on celebrating and educating around 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, including limited-edition Pride merch, spotlights on local organizations, and a pop-up event at Stackt Market. The month wrapped up with the team marching in Toronto’s Pride Parade.
FAITH KIPYEGON AND NIKE TAKE THE BIG STAGE IN PURSUIT OF WORLD RECORD
Middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon set out to make history as the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes, a feat Nike referred to as ‘Breaking4′.
Nike showed up in full support for the moment. Faith wore a custom racing suit designed for speed and ease. The attempt was live-streamed across Nike’s platforms and featured in a documentary about her preparation, available on Prime Video.
Though she missed the record by seven seconds, Faith achieved a personal best, bringing her closer than ever to the historic goal. The record wasn’t broken, but the moment mattered. Faith’s bravery and resilience challenged what’s possible and raised the bar for women’s sports.
The event was powerful not only for her performance but for its presentation. Nike’s full investment highlighted the importance of giving women’s stories the same care, attention, and platform as men’s.
LATEST ONTARIO EVENTS SHOWCASE OPPORTUNITIES AND GROWTH IN GIRLS SPORT
Over the past week, Kaitlyn attended girls and women’s sports events across Ontario, including Burlington Soccer Girls Can Play Day and the Ontario Mega Girls Baseball Tournament in Etobicoke.
Here are the highlights from each event:
Burlington Soccer Girls Can Play Day
- The event featured a girls’ soccer game with older girls playing right in front of the younger ones, possibly introducing some to soccer for the first time.
- A sports organization info market showcased a variety of sports, from dance and cheer to football, rugby, and baseball.
- Samantha Stewart, Director of Marketing & Community Relations at Burlington Soccer and event organizer, spoke about how many girls may not know of the opportunities available. She shared statistics on the high dropout rate among girls in sport and noted that many women leaders played sports growing up.
- A halftime dance performance showcased one of the sports at the info market in a tangible way.
Ontario Mega Girls Baseball Tournament
- The tournament grew by 50% this year, compared to last year, with interest across Canada and beyond.
- One winning team was made up of players who had only met 48 hours before. They quickly built camaraderie and were led by a female coach, likely factors in their success.
- Throughout the tournament, players and coaches encouraged each other, focusing on fun as much as competition.
- Female umpires and scorekeepers, likely local women in the baseball community and mothers, were present.
The stories of the week show girls in sport and physical activity that:
- Investing in women’s sports at every level, from coaching to advanced research, creates lasting change and helps move us closer to where girls and women in sport deserve to be.
- Visibility and celebration matter. When sports teams embrace inclusion and Pride, they not only support important communities but also model what inclusive, values-driven leadership looks like for girls watching.
- There’s power in being brave and resilient, especially when the outcome doesn’t go as planned. Faith’s story shows that investing in women’s sports is worthwhile regardless of results. Her resilience makes her relatable and inspiring to girls everywhere.
- Sport looks different for every girl. From soccer and baseball to dance to rugby, community-led events help girls discover where they belong. Making these opportunities fun, welcoming, and responsive to how girls uniquely experience sport is key to keeping them involved.
Kaitlyn’s Sport Stories Recap are written by Kaitlyn Lehbert, a passionate and driven sport advocate for girls and women. Kaitlyn holds her Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Brock University. Learn more about Kaitlyn by clicking here!
Have a sport story you want to share? Contact info@girlsforward.ca and it may get featured in Kaitlyn’s next feature.
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