CANADA’S WORLD IDENTITY IN SPORT: A LEGACY OF WINTER

CANADA’S WORLD IDENTITY IN SPORT: A LEGACY OF WINTER

Canada has an international image in sport that rests on six winter activities: curling, ice-hockey, figure skating, freestyle skiing, short-track speed skating, and snowboarding. A world-wide reputation for one or more sports or leisure activities is not an uncommon national identifier, even while it is impossible to view many countries in this light. The six winter sports are briefly described and Canada’s prominence in them supported with data from the Olympic Games. The serious leisure perspective is then presented as the theoretic framework for understanding these activities and their place in Canadian society. Finally, some implications of this wintery identity for Canada and Canadians are considered.