Canada dominated by U.S. in Continental Clasico soccer friendly
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Quebec language watchdog now says it's OK to use ‘go' to support sports teams
A bus is seen with the expression "Allez! Canadiens Allez!" in Montreal on Thursday, April 24, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi MONTREAL — Quebec's language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it's acceptable to use the word 'go' to cheer on sports teams. In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office québécois de la langue française says that while 'allez' is the preferred term, it's now 'partially legitimized' to use the English word to show encouragement. The flip-flop comes after the office took a hard line with Montreal's transit agency, pressing it for months in 2024 to scrub the word 'go' from the electronic signs on more than 1,000 city buses. The watchdog confirmed it had changed its position after The Canadian Press obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use 'go' in June. The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens' first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced 'Go! Canadiens Go!' with 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' to stay on the watchdog's good side. The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression 'Go Habs Go' is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed. That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert. 'The office had to respond to a political order,' said Benoît Melançon, emeritus professor of French literature at Université de Montréal. 'The minister said, 'You will accept this,' so the office had to find a way to accept it.' The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word 'go' back on its bus displays. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the agency is now 'beginning its reflection on the subject.' In an April statement, Dominique Malack, the president of the language office, agreed that the slogan 'Go Habs Go' is anchored in Quebec's history. Still, she went on to say that the word 'go' is an anglicism, and that public bodies have an obligation to use 'exemplary' French, which includes using only French words in their signage. Emails released to The Canadian Press show the transit agency asked the watchdog in May, following the uproar, for authorization to start using 'go' again. A month later, on June 6, the language office directed transit officials to its new entry for the word 'allez' in its online dictionary of terminology, a reference guide for the proper use of French in Quebec. The page notes how the anglicism 'go' has been used in Quebec since at least the 1980s and is 'well-established' in common parlance. 'It is considered to be partially legitimized,' the entry says. When asked by The Canadian Press to comment on the newly released email correspondence, the watchdog confirmed it had updated its position. 'The office now considers that a public body can use the interjection go in a context of encouragement … without this compromising the duty of exemplarity incumbent upon it under the Charter of the French Language,' spokesperson Gilles Payer told The Canadian Press in an email. Payer confirmed the entry was newly published on May 30. 'The media coverage of the case concerning the use of the borrowed word 'go' in a sports context led the office to officially assess the acceptability' of the word, he said. Melançon, the French literature professor, said the new rationale – especially the term 'partially legitimized' – suggests the office was uneasy with the change. 'This must have given rise to some pretty intense internal debates,' he said. ''Do we take into account what the minister is telling us or do we not take it into account? If we don't take it into account, what are the consequences? If we do, how do we justify changing our minds?'' At least one transit agency official felt dubious about the original complaint, which related to a bus displaying the words 'Go! CF Mtl Go!' in support of Montreal's professional soccer club. She called the issue a 'grey zone' in a June 2024 email to colleagues. 'We've been using the word 'go' for years without a problem,' she wrote. 'Are we going to change everything because of one complaint?' But by later that month, the agency had decided to scrap the word, which involved manually updating the display on each of more than 1,000 buses over a period of months. The agency has said no further change will be made before the buses undergo regular maintenance in the fall. The language office has received at least two other complaints about the word 'go' in the last five years, according to a response to a separate access-to-information request. In 2023, someone complained about the slogan 'Go Habs Go' appearing on an outdoor billboard. That complaint was dismissed because the expression is a trademark. A similar complaint in 2021 targeted the hashtag #GoHabsGo that appears in oversized letters outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, the home arena of the Canadiens. The person who filed the complaint suggested that to comply with Quebec's language rules, the expression 'Allez les Habitants allez' should appear alongside the English slogan, in larger letters. 'And yes, I'm serious, if the law applies, then apply it! :)' the person wrote. According to the language watchdog, that complaint was resolved following an intervention, though it provided no details. A spokesperson for the hockey team declined to comment. The #GoHabsGo sign remains in place. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025. Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother have been killed in a car accident in Spain, police say
Liverpool's Diogo Jota reacts after missing a chance to score during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darren Staples)
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Canadian Olympic hammer throw champs part of star-studded lineup for 50th Prefontaine Classic
This year's Prefontaine Classic features a lineup befitting a milestone for the iconic track and field meet. Saturday marks the 50th edition of prestigious event on the University of Oregon campus, which carries the name of the late Steve Prefontaine, an American collegiate runner who never won an Olympic or world championship medal, but who left an indelible mark on his sport before dying in a car crash at age 24. Read more about the history of the meet in this story by Scott Russell. Several Olympic and world champions will compete in Saturday's event at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and that includes Canadian hammer throwers Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg. You can watch live coverage of the event, available on and CBC Gem at 4 p.m. ET. Rogers is well acquainted with Hayward Field, having competed there several times before and during her collegiate career. It was also the venue where the 26-year-old from Richmond, B.C. broke the Diamond League women's hammer throw record in 2024. Rogers also collected a a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships when Eugene hosted in 2022. "I just love the stadium. I love the energy it carries. The 'Hayward Magic' is totally real, I am a full believer in that," Rogers said. "Knowing that there's going to be a very high level of competition makes it all the more exciting because it really motivates you to be there and be your best self on the day. "I think it'll be a lot of fun, and it's a renowned meet for a reason. It brings in the best of the best. It attracts some of the biggest track fans in the world and is just an exciting place to be in. I can't wait." Rogers is the top-ranked hammer thrower in the world, but she'll face a stiff test from a pair of top-ranked Americans in Eugene. Brooke Andersen, ranked second in the world, won a world title at Hayward Field in 2022, while No. 4-ranked Annette Nneka Echikunwoke was the silver medallist at Paris 2024. WATCH | Rogers 'excited' to compete at Prefontaine Classic 50th anniversary: Camryn Rogers 'excited' to compete at Prefontaine Classic 50th anniversary 19 hours ago Duration 0:32 On the men's side, the 23-year-old Katzberg has looked impressive so far this season, winning all five events he's entered. He also has the season's best throw: an 82.73-metre mark that won the Nanaimo, B.C., native the Kip Keino Classic title in Nairobi at the end of May. Joining Katzberg in competition on Saturday is Canadian teammate Rowan Hamilton, of Chilliwack, B.C. The 25-year-old won an NCAA title in hammer throw in 2024 and finished ninth at that year's Paris Olympics. Mitton looks to get back on track The Prefontaine Classic also offers the chance to capture some crucial Diamond League points, which are especially important for Canada's Sarah Mitton. The Brooklyn, N.S., native entered the season on a high note, capturing a second consecutive World Indoor women's shot put title this past spring. However, the defending Diamond League Final winner has fourth and fifth-place finishes in her first two stops on the circuit. Mitton – who owns the Canadian record of 20.68m – enters competition in Eugene coming off a strong showing at the Royal City Inferno Track and Field Festival in Guelph, Ont. She won that event on June 18 with a throw of 20.35m. Watch all the action from every Diamond League meet on and CBC Gem. Click here for the full broadcast schedule. Olympic men's pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis will also be in action in Eugene. The Swedish star recently improved upon his own world record at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm last month (6.28m) and will face Paris 2024 silver medallist Sam Kendricks in Saturday's competition. Not to be outdone, the track events will also feature a who's who of elite global talent at Hayward Field. The women's 100m will see Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Lucia line up against a pair of top American sprinters: Olympic silver medallist Sha'Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. The men's 100m will also be big draw: Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, Americans Christian Colemna and Trayvon Bromell, and Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain are among the field of sprinters. The men's 200m is headlined by Olympic champion Letsile Tobogo of Botswana and Grand Slam Track champion Kenny Bednarek of the U.S. The signature event of the Prefontaine Classic will also have plenty of excitement around it in 2025. The Bowerman Mile (named after legendary University of Oregon coach Bob Bowerman) has attracted top middle distance runners like Norwegian Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Americans Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse. The women's 400m will mark the Prefontaine Classic debut of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the reigning Olympic champion and current 400m hurdles world record-holder. McLaughlin-Levrone is the first track athlete to break more than four world records in the same event. Canadian Para athletes ready to shine This year's Prefontaine Classic will also include four Para sport events, two of which will feature Canadian athletes. Toronto's Marissa Papaconstantinou will compete in the Para mixed classification 100m, while Nandini Sharma, of Brampton, Ont., will race in the Para athletics 800m T54 event.
