As of Saturday April 11, Golf Saskatchewan, on behalf of the golf facilities in Saskatchewan, has been in touch with the Government of Saskatchewan officials, the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Business Response Team regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of the Easter weekend, there is no new update regarding the status of golf in Saskatchewan to what had previously been communicated.

For now, as we all make our way through a time of unprecedented uncertainty, let’s commit to what is in our control, to take every precaution ensuring our physical and mental health; to protecting our families, staff, volunteers and golfers; and to rally as a community to keep each other safe.

Wising you all a safe Easter weekend. For more COVID-19 please click here.

Delbert Betnar, President
Brian Lee, Executive Director/CEO

To All Golf Canada Members and Member Clubs,

Along with the rest of the globe, Canada is dealing with a debilitating health crisis with COVID-19.

Golf Canada is committed to fostering a safe sport environment. Together with our partners at the Provincial Golf Associations, that commitment includes the health and well-being of golfers as well as every Canadian in the communities where we live and play.

I think constantly about those personally affected by the virus including their families, our most vulnerable citizens and the incredible health care workers confronting the pandemic on the front lines. I worry about the impact to the golf community—owners, operators, PGA of Canada professionals, club managers, superintendents, industry stakeholders, fans and supporters of our championships and every Canadian golf enthusiast that just wants to get out and play. I also applaud the superintendents and their teams, who are taking the strictest precautions to maintain our essential golf properties during this crisis.  

Golf Canada fully supports the recommendations and guidelines of Health Canada, the World Health Organization and regional public health experts to prevent the community spread of COVID-19. Currently, most provinces have enacted complete suspensions on all recreational activities and gatherings, including golf facilities. Many clubs throughout Canada have, on their own initiative, instituted temporary suspensions of operations for the wellness of their staff, their golfers and their community at large. I know that those not yet mandated to close are taking every precaution and I respect the pressure felt by those with that immense responsibility.  

Golf Canada continues to evaluate all aspects of our business and take measures to protect  our athletes, staff, coaches, partners and volunteers. Severe cost controls and risk mitigation protocols have been enacted and we are in constant consultation with provincial, national and international experts along with our member clubs to gather the information we need to make informed and responsible decisions through the crisis.  

You will find a toolkit of information here in our COVID-19 Resource Page, which we hope will serve as a  reference for everything that can be done today and, in the future, when it is safe to return to golf. I am incredibly proud of the work done by our team, our partners and global stakeholders to put this compendium of information together for all golfers.

This is a turbulent moment and Golf Canada is committed to supporting the golf community through these challenges to the best of our ability. I am encouraged to see the resiliency of our industry—people and facilities engaging to share ideas and best practices, further professional development and provide levity and support for each other through this difficult period.

When the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, golf will be well positioned to emerge and thrive, with possible attributes recommended by the appropriate authorities including physical distancing, exaggerated tee-times, personal protective equipment, and the many precautionary health measures that club operators will have in place. I also know that when that recovery comes, courses will be ready to safely welcome golfers back to the tee. Golf will bring us closer together.

For now, as we all make our way through a time of unprecedented uncertainty, let’s commit to what is in our control—to take every precaution to ensure our physical and mental health; to protect our families, staff, volunteers and golfers; and to rally as a community to keep each other safe.
—
Laurence Applebaum
Chief Executive Officer
Golf Canada

CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 RULES OF GOLF AND RULES OF HANDICAPPING FAQs

The COVID-19 global pandemic is an unprecedented and difficult time for Canadians and Golf Canada stands with our entire golf community during this unprecedented time.

We all love the game for the escape it provides and its positive impact on our physical, social and mental well-being. We look forward to better and healthier days and when the time is right for Canadians to return to recreational normalcy, clubs and courses will be ready to welcome golfers back to the tee.

We continue to urge golfers to follow the guidelines from health and governmental officials to keep you and those around you safe, and to minimize any possible exposure to coronavirus. This is especially true on a golf course, where golfers, workers and operators should heighten their level of awareness on exposure to surfaces like flagsticks, golf balls, bunker rakes, tees, carts and scorecards. We all need to do our part to respect expert advice and make the right decisions to protect each other.

It is not the intended purpose of the below guidance to either encourage or discourage anyone from playing the game, but rather, in our governance role, to help golf course operators, committees and golfers better understand how the Rules of Golf and Rules of Handicapping apply to the various questions received by the governing bodies.

The Modernized Rules of Golf were drafted to offer each Committee the flexibility to make decisions as to how golf is played at their course or in competition and the Committee Procedures section of the Official Guide to the Rules of Golf (available online here) offers a significant amount of guidance and recommendations on how to address circumstances unique to each course or competition.

This flexibility will prove to be very helpful as Committees look to address many of the challenges they are facing within the current environment. While the Committee Procedures section is a tremendous resource and has much to offer, many of the current questions were not originally contemplated under the Rules of Golf and therefore there is no history or guidance provided. To better address the questions that have come about because of these unique circumstances and the related challenges, additional guidance can be accessed by clicking here. This will continue to be updated as additional questions are received.

As active seasons start to open across the country, we would like to discuss impacts on Handicapping.  From the perspective of the Rules of Handicapping, the most frequent questions received are primarily related to the acceptability of scores for posting to a player’s scoring record. In particular, to modifying the hole and not requiring the player to “hole out” as required under the Rules of Golf. These are founded in a desire to minimize the possibility of exposing golfers to coronavirus and have included leaving the hole liner raised above the putting surface or placing various objects into the hole so the ball can be more easily removed. In these specific cases, ensuring guidance from health and governmental officials is being followed, a temporary measure is in place in Canada to accept scores played under these conditions for handicap purposes using the most likely score guidelines (Rule 3.3, Rules of Handicapping), even though the player has not holed out.

Please remember that this temporary measure is now in effect within Canada until advised otherwise by Golf Canada.

For more information and detailed guidance, please contact your Provincial Golf Association or Golf Canada.

Residence:
Yorkton

Home Club:
Deer Park Golf Course

Handicap Factor/Index:
13.7 

Right/Left:
Right

Rounds per year:
“I play about 40 to 50 rounds per year now that I’m slowing down a bit – started playing when I six years old and joined Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon at the age of seven. The most rounds played in a single season is 150 when I was 16 years old.”

Favourite player:
“Arnold Palmer, hands down.”

Years with Golf Saskatchewan:
“Seven years of volunteering with Golf Saskatchewan after 25 years of volunteering in minor hockey as a coach, co-ordinator, president of Saskatoon Minor Hockey and a director of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association.”

Areas of Service:
“I am involved with course rating, director (currently the vice-president) and former chair of a Canadian Junior Women’s Championship and two provincial championships held at Deer Park.”

How did you get involved with Golf Saskatchewan?
“I got involved with Golf Saskatchewan because of people like my mentor, the late Bill Turnbull (Riverside Country Club professional) who devoted a lot of his personal time to developing junior golf before it was even popular. After I finished giving back to hockey I decided it was time for me to give back to golf, the game I love the most.”

What do you like about volunteering?
“I like volunteering with Golf Saskatchewan because of the people I’ve met along the way.  Everyone volunteering is equally passionate about the game and we all have a common bond.  I also get to see more and more of Saskatchewan and some great golf courses that I otherwise likely wouldn’t have gone to. Volunteering gives me a nice feeling that I’m doing something good for the game and having an opportunity to give back and meet some great people along the way.”

Residence:
Saskatoon

Home Club:
“I play with the Tuesday women’s league at Moon Lake. I played at Holiday Park almost from the time it opened. I still enjoy playing that course.”

Handicap Factor/Index:
“Three times what it was a few years ago.”

Rounds per year:
“20 – 25, when your golf game is as awful as mine you don’t get too excited about playing.”

Years with Golf Saskatchewan:
“30 total between the Saskatchewan Golf Association and Golf Saskatchewan.”

Areas of Service:
Course rating, Rules Official, board member, Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame committee

How did you get involved with Golf Saskatchewan?
Course rating – “I thought it would be interesting and a challenge. I was involved almost from the beginning of the slope rating system. We started out measuring by pacing the distances to now using lasers and GPS.  Thirty years later it still seems to take us just as long to do a course.”

Rules – “When I was playing competitive golf I was always getting into some sort of predicament, so I decided I needed to know the rules to avoid penalties. I have been doing rules for 20 years. For a short period of time I had a level four designation. Most of the time I have done provincial tournaments. When the new rule book came out I had decided that I would quit. I then thought, can this old brain learn something new and pass a three-hour exam. I passed so I am still doing rules.”

Board member – “I had been president of the Saskatchewan Ladies Curling Association. I think the powers at be thought that experience would be valuable in their dealings with Sask Sport. Little did they know that I would be the last president of their beloved CLCA Saskatchewan Branch.”

What do you like about volunteering?
“The people you get to work with. I have met people from all over Saskatchewan and across the country. I have played golf courses I would never have seen and met the people who are so proud of their facilities.  I grew up with parents that insisted that if you are involved with a sport or an activity it is your duty to give back to that organization. I have never regretted becoming a volunteer it is most always a rewarding experience.”

Note – Pat was inducted into the Saskatchewan Curling Hall of Fame in 2017.

Today, the City of Toronto made the decision to cancel all permits and access to City services for events through June 30 due to ongoing developments with COVID-19.

We appreciate the factors that led to this decision, in particular that all city resources are being directed to support our communities during this unprecedented health crisis.  The health and safety of everyone who supports the RBC Canadian Open – and our community as a whole – will always come first, and we respect the City’s decision.

Together with the PGA TOUR, we are assessing this recent development along with other challenges posed by COVID-19 to determine the best course of action for the RBC Canadian Open.  We will make further announcements in the coming week.

TOKYO – The Tokyo Olympics will open next year in the same time slot scheduled for this year’s games.

Tokyo organizers said Monday the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 – almost exactly one year after the games were due to start this year.

“The schedule for the games is key to preparing for the games,” Tokyo organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said. “This will only accelerate our progress.”

Last week, the IOC and Japanese organizers postponed the Olympics until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s games were scheduled to open on July 24 and close on Aug. 9. But the near exact one-year delay will see the rescheduled closing ceremony on Aug. 8.

“Nice that they were able to do to it so quickly as now all the (international federations) can work towards fixing their calendars for the summer,” Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee said.

There had been talk of switching the Olympics to spring, a move that would coincide with the blooming of Japan’s famous cherry blossoms. But it would also clash with European soccer and North American sports leagues.

Mori said a spring Olympics was considered but holding the games later gives more space to complete the many qualifying events that have been postponed by the virus outbreak.

“Seems like the obvious choice to me,” said Canadian marathoner Reid Coolsaet, a two-time Olympian. “For athletes, like me, who don’t have a qualifying mark, it gives us the opportunity in 2021 to post a result.”

After holding out for weeks, local organizers and the IOC last week postponed the Tokyo Games under pressure from athletes, national Olympic bodies and sports federations. It’s the first postponement in Olympic history, though there were several cancellations during wartime.

“The IOC has had close discussions with the relevant international federations,” organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said. “I believe the IFs have accepted the games being held in the summer.”

The Paralympics were rescheduled to Aug. 24-Sept. 5.

“On behalf of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, thank you to the IOC, IPC and Tokyo 2020 for rapidly making a decision on the new dates for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021,” Canadian Paralympic Committee president Marc-Andre Fabien said in a statement. “We recognize the vast amount of work that lays ahead to bring a postponed Games to life and greatly appreciate all of their efforts. We commit to doing our part to make the Games a success.

“This now gives our entire sport community a true sense of clarity and a way to move forward. Now we, alongside our national sport organizations, partners, and athletes, can start preparations knowing we all will unite in Tokyo next summer, one year on from planned, and be able to celebrate how sport brings people together.”

Muto said the decision was made Monday and the IOC said it was supported by all the international sports federations and was based on three main considerations: to protect the health of athletes, to safeguard the interests of the athletes and Olympic sport, and the international sports calendar.

“These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organization of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the IOC said. “The new dates … also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs.”

Both Mori and Muto have said the cost of rescheduling the Olympics will be “massive” – local reports estimate billions of dollars – with most of the expenses borne by Japanese taxpayers.

Muto promised transparency in calculating the costs, and testing times deciding how they are divided up.

“Since it (the Olympics) were scheduled for this summer, all the venues had given up hosting any other events during this time, so how do we approach that?” Muto asked. “In addition, there will need to be guarantees when we book the new dates, and there is a possibility this will incur rent payments. So there will be costs incurred and we will need to consider them one by one. I think that will be the tougher process.”

Katsuhiro Miyamoto, an emeritus professor of sports economics at Kansai University, puts the costs as high as $4 billion. That would cover the price of maintaining stadiums, refitting them, paying rentals, penalties and other expenses.

Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics. However, an audit bureau of the Japanese government says the costs are twice that much. All of the spending is public money except $5.6 billion from a privately funded operating budget.

The Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee is contributing $1.3 billion, according to organizing committee documents. The IOC’s contribution goes into the operating budget.

IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly called the Tokyo Olympics the best prepared in history. However, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso also termed them “cursed.” Aso competed in shooting in the 1976 Olympics, and was born in 1940.

The Olympics planned for 1940 in Tokyo were cancelled because of Japan’s war with China.

The run-up to the Olympics also saw IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda, who also headed the Japanese Olympic Committee, forced to resign last year amid a bribery scandal.

With heightened uncertainty and global concern related to COVID-19, Golf Canada continues to evaluate all aspects of our business to operate and make informed and responsible decisions within the best interests of our athletes, staff, volunteers, host clubs, partners and other stakeholders health and well-being.

Today (March 30, 2020), Golf Canada is announcing its decision to cancel or postpone the events listed below.

Golf Canada has cancelled the following 2020 NextGen Championships: 

• NextGen Pacific | May 14-17 | Pheasant Glen Golf Resort, Qualicum Beach, B.C.
• NextGen Ontario | May 21-24 | Listowel Golf Club, Listowel, Ont.
• NextGen Western | May 27-30 | River Spirit Golf Club, Calgary, Alta.
• NextGen Québec | June 4-7 | Owl’s Head Golf Club, Mansonville, Qué.

Golf Canada has postponed the following 2020 RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers: 

• Ontario Qualifier | May 14 | TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Caledon, Ont.
• British Columbia Qualifier | May 19 | Meadow Gardens Golf Club, Pitt Meadows, B.C.
• Québec Qualifier | May 21 | Club de golf Pinegrove, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué.

Golf Canada has also decided to postpone the 2020 Canadian University/College Championship:

Canadian University/College Championship | May 24-28 | Club de golf Les Quatre Domaines, Mirabel, Qué.

Golf Canada has cancelled all National Rules and Course Ratings Seminars:

• National Rules Seminar (BC) | March 27-29 | Marine Drive Golf Club, Vancouver, B.C.
• National Rules Seminar (NB) | March 27-29 | Royal Oaks Golf Club, Moncton, N.B.
• National Rules Seminar (ON) | April 3-5 | St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Toronto, Ont.
• National Rules Seminar (QC) | April 24-26 | Elm Ridge Country Club, Montreal, Qué.
• National Rules Seminar (SK) | April 24-26 | Riverside Country Club, Saskatoon, Sask.
• National Course Rating Seminar April 26-27

The USGA previously announced the cancellation of local (first stage) qualifying for the 2020 U.S. Open in its current form. They are working with their Allied Golf Association (AGA) partners and International Federations to redesign qualifying going forward.

The decision to cancel or postpone these events was not taken lightly, but given unprecedented times, we believe it is the best course of action. The safety and well-being of our championship competitors, tournament staff and volunteers along with our host site members and staff are paramount to Golf Canada. We also appreciate that all Canadians are dealing with health and travel concerns along with more pressing matters of uncertainty.

We share in the disappointment of those affected and thank all for their understanding during this extraordinary time.

A complete list of Golf Canada’s competitions is available here.

Team Canada’s lead psychologist, Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, shares the below guidance and resources to help with our work from home activities.

As you work from a different place in an ever-changing reality, below are a few reflections from high performance sport. Three aspects I will highlight: who do you want to be, how do humans work, and prioritize recovery.

Who do we want to be?

In working with golfers, we often start with helping them understand who they are and who they want to be in certain situations. This whole idea came from an experience I had when I first moved back to Canada. I had one athlete who was quite young and traveled a great deal internationally. At times, she was very good at what she did and at other times she really struggled. A more experienced competitor sat down with her to have a conversation. He asked her if she knew who she was. She said that she was not sure. And he said that she needed to figure it out, so that she knew if she was in that place each time she stepped to the line.

As you work from home in a new reality, spend some time reflecting on who you want to be in this new context. What do you need to be well in this space? What do you need to stay motivated?

Below are suggestions and tips that other experts have developed for working-from-home (jasonthompson.ca)

1. Video calls are a great way to feel connected
2. It’s easy to get lost in texts, emails and social media. Set aside two times per day when you go through these. Focus on your to-dos the rest of the time.
3. Buy a plant for your workspace. It just feels good.
4. Go for a walk. It reboots your mind. Some of my best ideas have come on walks.
5. Set a start and end time each day.
6. Take advantage of the flexibility and extra work time without a commute.
7. Dress for work. This may not be the same as your in-office outfit, but if you wear your weekend sweats it will have an effect on your mindset.
8. Chat about life. Start every call with a few minutes about non-work things and non-COVID things if you can. Remember, we work with people not organizations.
9. Shared documents are awesome – try and pick one platform and stick with it.
10. Connect with your team once a day.
11. If you work from home, despite how wonderfully tempting they can be, don’t get distracted by laundry and tidying up. Do that when your workday is over.
12. Embrace the situation. If life has taught us anything, it’s that nothing stays the same for long.

Working in high performance sport, we also spend a great deal of time helping a golfer unpack their why. Their reason for doing this and putting in all the hours. In your current context, I think we can extend your why to another level. As we work in these new conditions, what is your why for doing it? Who is your why? Grab a few pictures that remind you of this and keep it close to you.

Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, Derek Ingram

Finally, understanding when we are and are not in a good place from a mental wellness perspective can be beneficial. Below is a mental health continuum that I modified for Team Canada men’s golf team (based on a more elaborate version from the Canadian Mental Health Association). It helps all of us start to learn about when we are mentally well. We should all know the things that keep us well, the signs we are not well, triggers and what we can do to get back to being well.

How do humans work?

We help athletes understand how humans being work. Stress and anxiety are a part of being human. Humans have a brain that is meant to help us survive and as such, we respond to stress and anxiety in a certain manner. We thrive with control, and in times like this, it is very important that we spend time coming back to what we have control over.

Click here to watch a TedTalk by Lisa Feldman Barrett that helps us learn more about the brain and how it operates.

Click here to read an article that talks about anxiety as it related to the situation. There is also a colouring book you can use to speak with coronavirus for those of you who have young children.

Prioritize recovery

And finally, we try to prioritize recovery. Our sport science team speak about being physically and also mentally recovered with Team Canada golf. Meditation and mindfulness can be very helpful tools for keeping us in a positive mental space. Some things to consider as we work to prioritize emotional recovery:

Be self-compassionate. Even people who don’t usually struggle with anxiety are experiencing more worry and anxiety now. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re experiencing more anxiety than usual. Additional information regarding self-compassion can be found here as well as several free tools and activities to aid in practicing kindness to ourselves.

Limit the news and unplug from social media. Understandably coronavirus is the lead story for most news outlets. People on social media are likewise sharing information and stories, some of which are accurate, but others may have little to do with reality. The general public is interested and wants to know the latest details. Yet when our attention is drawn to something, we are more likely to focus on it and continue thinking about it. As we think about and focus more on coronavirus, the PERCEPTION of threat increases (not the actual risk but our perception of it).

If you do watch or read the news, try to limit how often you:

• Commit to only checking in a couple of times a day and limit the total time to 30 minutes a day.
• Set a regular time when you check the news every day (standardizing the times you check will help to both think less about it and to reduce fighting with yourself to check).
• Disable news alerts on your phone so that you get updates when you want them. It can also be helpful to rely on family and friends to provide major updates thereby making it unnecessary to check the media.
• Make sure that your information only comes from reputable sources, such as: Government of Canada and the World Health Organization.

Strengthen Self-Care. During these anxiety-provoking times, it’s important to remember the tried-and-true anxiety prevention and reduction strategies: (Get adequate sleep; Exercise regularly; Practice mindfulness; Eat well-balanced meals; Make time for activities you enjoy and take time to unwind; Spend time in nature; Employ relaxation techniques when stressed; Connect with people you trust; and talk about your concerns and how you are feeling).

Focus on What You Can Control. Sometimes we fixate on events out of our control. But rather than blaming others or trying to change them, resilient people set their sights on what they can control. Ask yourself, “What can I control in this situation?”

Be in the Present. What do you notice about your breath right now? Our breath is an excellent anchor in the present, but sometimes we get stuck in the past or worry about the future. Practice STOP (Stop. Take a few deep breaths. Observe. Proceed).

So as you work from home and continue to do your job, keep figuring out who you are and who you want to be, honour the fact that you are human and prioritize recovery – knowing that right now the conditions are such that it may be difficult to let go and allow your mind to be at rest.

Tom Renney remembers exactly where he was during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

It was the first time the New York Rangers had ever held their training camp in Manhattan. Renney, who was entering his second season as the team’s director of player personnel, was at Madison Square Garden as players checked in for their physicals when the first plane struck the World Trade Centre.

The spectre of 9/11 still haunted New York City four years later when Renney began his first training camp as the Rangers’ head coach. Sensing that the Rangers could be a rallying point for a hurting city, Renney told his team that they had to play the 2005-06 season for the fans.

“You know what? We owe this city and we owe the New York Rangers fans everything we have,” Renney recalls. “This is not about hockey, this is about allowing a city that supports us like nobody else the chance to feel good, and feel like there’s a rebound and feel like there’s something that they can feel good about.

“I said, that is our responsibility and our obligation to the Rangers fan. And quite honestly, you know, the National Hockey League.”

That season the Rangers became the first team to do a post-game stick salute to thank their fans, a practice that is now common around the NHL. Renney led the team to a third-place finish in the Atlantic Division and New York’s first playoff berth since 1997.

Renney is now the chief executive officer for Hockey Canada and although he doesn’t know when professional or amateur sports will return, he says that like his time with the Rangers, they will play a critical role in healing the country when the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

“I believe Canadians are very resilient people. I think the hockey community is a resilient group, not just those that play it, but those that love watching it,” said Renney. “When the time is right, I think our participants and volunteers across the country will relish the role in leading Canada back to normal.”

Hockey, like all elite sports, is on hold as officials do their bit to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The NHL has paused its season and the Memorial Cup, Canada’s national major junior championship, was cancelled along with the Canadian Hockey League’s playoffs.

There’s no telling when the NHL, NBA, Major League Baseball, CFL or any other professional sport will return. But like Renney, Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum says his sport will be ready to unite Canadians when restrictions on public gatherings are lifted.

Also like Renney, Applebaum has seen firsthand how sports can bring a community together after a tragedy.

Applebaum was the vice president of Salomon Canada, a sports equipment manufacturer, a decade ago and was in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics. He remembers a literal and figurative cloud hovering over Vancouver after Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed during a training run hours before the Games opening ceremony.

“The sport community came together to mourn him and the weather changed and it ended up evolving into an incredible celebration of sport and humankind coming together,” said Applebaum. “So my prevailing theory is the sun will rise again (when the pandemic is over).

“And golf, golf will rise again and return to being an incredible part of our lives. It’s just going to take some time.”

Bruce Kidd, a historian and professor at the University of Toronto, believes that sports are in a unique position to help rally cities or countries after disasters because people can identify with the athletes. That power will become even more apparent when normalcy returns after the novel coronavirus pandemic is over.

“I think to which athletes and coaches’ lives have been thrown into complete disarray is something that most people can identify with right now,” said Kidd, who competed for Canada at the 1964 Olympics and was twice named The Canadian Press athlete of the year.

Kidd, who likened the current public health emergency to the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-20, says that when sports return it will be cathartic for all of society because it will be a celebration of overcoming adversity.

“It will be a relief, it will signal a return to some kind of normalcy,” said Kidd. “It’ll be an opportunity for people to take control of their lives again, whether it’s participating in sports or watching them.

“Psychologically, it will be empowering and I think that’s really important.”