Latest news with #SportManitoba
CBC
4 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Team Manitoba gears up for 2025 Canada Summer Games
Social Sharing Hundreds of athletes from Manitoba will go for gold starting next week in St. John's at the 2025 Canada Summer Games. Team Manitoba is sending 374 athletes to the Games, which run from Aug. 8-25. "I'm ecstatic," said Team Manitoba baseball player Piper Hollywood. "This is so crazy to me, and I'm so excited." Hollywood and her teammates will be part of history at the Games, with women's baseball making its debut at the event. The 15-year-old also hopes she and her teammates can be an inspiration to future generations of young girls who play baseball. "It means so much to me. It means so much to all the girls. We've all worked so extremely hard," she said. "I think we're just excited to be there. We're excited to show everyone what we have." Some of the athletes helped unveil team uniforms Tuesday morning during a ceremony at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inside the Sport Manitoba facility on Pacific Avenue. Kayaker Luke Enns, 19, was announced as the team's flag-bearer for next week's opening ceremony. "It's such an honour," he said. "For me, it symbolizes the connection between all the sports and all the teams that will be competing at the Games, so it's an honour to have that opportunity." Team Manitoba will showcase family ties on the wrestling mat, with Jordan Blais coached by his dad, Dominick. "My dad has just been so dedicated and so disciplined with how he's learning the sport. He's been studying it, looking at high-level videos, high-level wrestling," he said. "I think his technique has surpassed mine already," said Blais. "I'm just very thankful to have him as my coach and someone that I can look up to." Although wrestling is relatively new for Dominick Blais, he's no stranger to combat sports, with a 10-5-0 professional mixed martial arts record. He also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He took up wrestling with Jordan and his daughter when they were young, he said. "It brings the family very close," Dominick said. "It's a passion that everybody shares. We've been travelling a lot together, and now coaching is my work, but it doesn't really feel like work." Jordan said competing at the Games can also help athletes get recognized for future opportunities in their sport. "Many of my friends from last Canada Games, they got recruited because of the Canada Games," he said. "This is really important. You've got to stay in the mindset of 'Your future is in your hands.'"
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Courting athletic apparel success
Bryan Salvador and Ogo Okwumabua want you to relax, and they've got just the clothing — and multi-purpose space — for you to unwind in. The co-founders of athletic apparel brand Zueike Inc. are celebrating the grand opening of their new south Winnipeg location. In addition to serving as a place where people can purchase comfortable clothing, the Chevrier neighbourhood site includes 'the campus,' an outdoor space behind the store that features a 3-on-3 basketball court. Members of the public are invited to join the celebration at 65 Trottier Bay today from noon to 4 p.m. The event will include family-friendly yard games, a bouncy castle, music, food and product discounts. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Ogo Okwumabua (left) and Bryan Salvador, co-owners of Zueike Inc., an apparel line that specializes in comfortable clothing for athletes, at their new facility at 65 Trottier Bay When Salvador and Okwumabua started the company seven years ago, they drew on their shared Nigerian heritage to name it. Pronounced 'zu-we-kay,' the brand takes its moniker from the Igbo word for 'relax.' The company's new campus and grand opening celebration are the entrepreneurs' way of inviting the community to do just that, Okwumabua said. 'It's just a great space that allows us to have a lot of flexibility,' he added. 'We want people to have fun and say, 'This was a great day.'' The two friends were working as sales representatives at a local competitor when they started thinking about creating a brand of their own. In 2018, they left their jobs and started Zueike at 45 Trottier Bay (moving a few doors down the street this spring), with a vision of offering the kind of clothing they wore between games when they were university athletes. (Salvador played volleyball at the University of Winnipeg and Okwumabua played basketball at the University of Manitoba.) 'I'm a big sweatsuit guy. I love sweats,' said Okwumabua, 47. 'We were always in sweatsuits, so we wanted to kind of create a more fashion-forward team wear,' added Salvador, 41. Today, Zueike offers a range of clothing. In addition to shorts, pants and hoodies, the company sells leggings, jackets and trucker hats. The clothing is designed in Winnipeg and manufactured by partners in China and India. Screenprinting and embroidery is added at the company's headquarters, where the founders employ 10 people. Zueike has proudly created clothing for major local sports teams including the Winnipeg Jets, Blue Bombers, Goldeyes and Sea Bears. Additionally, the company has filled a recent Sport Manitoba order for 500 walkout uniforms Team Manitoba athletes will wear at the Canada Games next month in St. John's, N.L. Zueike has also taken over as sponsor of the 2,200-square-foot lounge in Sport Manitoba, where athletes can rest in between competitions. The sponsorship is a natural fit, given one of Zueike's slogans is 'Lounge everywhere,' said Amber Marra, brand and marketing manager at Sport Manitoba. '(They're creating) a vibe that makes it feel relaxed and will inspire athletes,' Marra said of the lounge. She discovered Zueike on social media shortly after the company got started and was struck by what it had to offer. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS The campus features a 3-on-3 basketball court for leagues, camps and community campus features a 3-on-3 basketball court for leagues, camps and community events. 'A local company doing loungewear is not something I'd necessarily seen and they were really trying to be bold and doing a lot of different activations around causes,' Marra said. 'They've picked some cool things to get involved in and they're walking the walk.' Marra is referring to a Black Lives Matter-inspired collection the company released in 2021 and a T-shirt the company manufactured a few years ago to promote mental health awareness. Zueike supports a number of causes, Salvador and Okwumabua said. The company provides scholarships and awards to high school students through local charity CanU and co-sponsors an annual block party with Black History Manitoba. Relocating a few doors down from its original location in April and gaining the campus has given Zueike a new spot to host special events. The campus will also host a 3-on-3 basketball league, upcoming basketball development camps and can double as a pickleball court. Okwumabua said one of the things he most enjoys about his work is making connections in the community. 'Including initiatives like the campus allows us to have different legs (and) keeps us thinking in fresh, new ways,' he said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. It's a welcome addition to the street, said Joe Bradbury, owner of Finish First Autobody, one of Zueike's neighbours. 'It's amazing to see a thriving Manitoba business grow,' said Bradbury, who personally owns Zueike-brand clothing. 'They have great quality and great service.' Salvador and Okwumabua plan to establish a retail presence across Canada in the years ahead. But first, they have a grand opening event to host. 'We wouldn't be where we are without the community and people who have supported us to this day,' Salvador said. 'It will just be great to show them what we've been doing.' Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Sponsored: Sport Manitoba
Winnipeg Watch Jeff Wood, Performance Manager at Sport Manitoba, shares how athletes are preparing for high-level competition at the upcoming Canada Games.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Improving accessibility, ‘doing better' the focus, Fontaine says in wake of insensitive remarks caught on microphone
Manitoba's minister responsible for accessibility said Wednesday she's focusing on improving accessibility standards after remarks she made about a sign-language interpreter sparked criticism last month. Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine came under fire after her complaints about the placement of an American Sign Language interpreter at a graduation ceremony she was speaking at were caught on a 'hot mic' by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network June 26. Fontaine has apologized multiple times and committed to staff training. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Minister Nahanni Fontaine announces the 2025-26 Manitoba Accessibility Fund recipients at Sport Manitoba Wednesday. 'When I have these missteps or these mistakes or these moments, I always try to find the teaching and the lessons in it, and then how to move forward in a better way — how to do better,' Fontaine told reporters at a news conference Wednesday morning, announcing the recipients of this year's Manitoba Accessibility Fund. Fontaine, who was accompanied by a sign-language interpreter, said the province is working on hiring two additional ASL specialists. One will be present at any public event involving her department, she said. In the weeks since the incident, a deaf woman has also joined the Matriarch Circle, an advisory body of Indigenous women that consult with the provincial government, she said. The graduation-ceremony incident led to calls from the Opposition Progressive Conservatives to have Fontaine relieved of her accessibility responsibilities. Premier Wab Kinew has stood by her. Earlier this month, Fontaine said amendments to the Accessibility for Manitobans Act would be coming. She said Wednesday that the changes will include financial penalties as a 'last resort' for organizations refusing to implement accessibility standards. 'There are, in those rare, rare instances, (where) people are resistant to compliance, so the community has been asking for many years that there's some financial teeth behind them,' she said. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine speaks to the media, with an ASL translator, after announcing the 2025-26 Manitoba Accessibility Fund recipients at Sport Manitoba. In the wake of Fontaine's comments last month, reporters and others at APTN, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, found themselves blocked from Fontaine's social media. APTN was the first to report the comments. Fontaine refused to say who blocked the reporters, but said the move was reversed. 'I take full responsibility for my office and those folks are no longer blocked,' she said. Manitoba's Accessibility Fund grant program will distribute $820,000 across 33 organizations this year. Among them is Sport Manitoba — the site of Wednesday's announcement — which will receive $5,500 to create and deliver anti-ableism, disability awareness and accessible recreation training. 'Manitoba is privileged to have such a wide range of organizations whose purpose is to serve those within our accessible community,' said facility services manager Sarah Shotton. 'We very much look forward to working with some of these organizations to raise awareness about the vital role that we all play in supporting accessible sport experiences throughout Manitoba.' This year's Manitoba Accessibility Award, which recognizes organizations committed to support for people with disabilities, was presented to the Arts AccessAbility Network of Manitoba. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Arts AccessAbility Network of Manitoba executive director Jenel Shaw said the organization sees accessibility as 'the very foundation of artistic freedom.' Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. The organization has audited venues and theatres to remove barriers and it maintains an online database. Executive director Jenel Shaw said the organization sees accessibility as 'the very foundation of artistic freedom.' 'Disability for us is not a deficit, it's a perspective, a source of insight, beauty and innovation,' she said. 'When we talk about accessibility, we're not just talking about ramps, ASL or print labels, though all of those matter deeply. We're talking about cultural change, about building art spaces where disabled and deaf artists are not only included, but centred.' Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
04-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Interlake tribal council withdraws from 2 Manitoba sports groups, cites lack of supports for young athletes
Social Sharing The chair of a tribal council representing seven First Nations communities in Manitoba's Interlake region says his group has received more financial support from a charity associated with the Toronto Blue Jays than it has from two major provincial sports organizations. The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council withdrew from Sport Manitoba and Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council, citing frustration with both organizations and saying both have paid poor attention to the needs of their athletes and communities, a news release said Thursday. The tribal council represents seven First Nations communities about 190 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba: Kinonjeoshtegon, Peguis, Lake Manitoba, Pinaymootang, Little Saskatchewan, Lake St. Martin and Dauphin River. Lake Manitoba First Nation Chief Cornell McLean, who chairs the tribal council, says the two sports organizations have shown a lack of accountability when it comes to supporting athletes from their communities. "There's no relationship," he told CBC News on Thursday. The tribal council has received more financial support from the Toronto-based Jays Care Foundation — which helped create a recreational softball league for IRTC's seven communities — than it has from the two sporting organizations, McLean said. "The main priority here for us is that we want to be included, not excluded, from Sport Manitoba," he said. A spokesperson for Sport Manitoba declined to comment on this story. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council has not yet responded to CBC's requests for comment. The organization, also known as MASRC, aims to connect Manitoba's sports sector with Indigenous communities in the province in order to develop sustainable programs that enhance sporting and recreational opportunities for Indigenous people in Manitoba, its website states. Rural Interlake 'forgotten about' Many of the communities represented by the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council were impacted by severe flooding in 2011, which forced thousands of people from their homes and often left few play options for children and youth, said Karl Zadnik, CEO of the tribal council. The tribal council has run free basketball training camps for children and youth of its member communities over the last six years, but neither Sport Manitoba nor MASRC have financially supported them, despite the council's efforts to secure funding, Zadnik said. "Our requests have fallen on deaf ears," he told CBC News. The tribal council will re-evaluate how sports and recreation are handled within its communities and explore alternative ways of supporting athletes, the news release said. "We're better off taking care of our own sporting dollars [and] initiatives housed within our own communities, as it seems that the rural area of the Interlake region is forgotten about," said Zadnik. Zadnik says the tribal council plans to speak with Sport Canada representatives and the federal sport minister about the issue following the federal election later this month. Both Zadnik and McLean said they want to see the two Manitoba sporting organizations try to identify service gaps alongside the tribal council. Zadnik said the tribal council would ultimately like to work on a solution with both organizations. "If they wanted to change their tune and how they approach us, we'd be willing to sit down with Sport Manitoba and MASRC and figure out a path forward, so that our people are not neglected any further."
