Today, we are sharing good news!

Karate Canada is thrilled to announce the recipients of the first edition of the Stay in the Fight Bursary! The Bursary was created to provide support to female athletes who have recently retired or plan to retire from competition in the not-so-distant future, to help them explore, prepare and develop along different avenues (coaching, officiating, governance & leadership) as to stay involved within the sport of karate and continue to contribute to the success of Karate Canada and/or its Provincial/Territorial Organizations after their retirement from competition.

We received over 20 applications and the recipients were chosen according to specific criteria including the clarity and feasibility of their transition plan and budget as well as the extent of their competitive background.

The selection panel was comprised of at least one (1) Karate Canada registrant from each pathway (current or past coach, official and board member) as well as a staff member from Canadian Women and Sport. Karate Canada would like to sincerely thank Norma Foster, Jennifer Guillette, Suzanne Jean, Pam Ross and Terri Temelini (Program Manager with Canadian Women & Sport) for the time they invested in this program and in the selection process.

The five recipients of the Stay in the Fight Bursary for the 2020-2021 season are:

• Mariah Blunt, AB
• Marianne Boulé, QC
• Hilary Pond, NB
• Hidemi Uchiage, AB
• Jusleen Virk, BC

With the generous support of the government of Canada, each recipients will receive a bursary of $1,800 to support their transition from their competitive career. We are pleased to announce the program will be back next year and encourage everyone to (re)apply!

Congratulations to all the recipients!

(This program was made possible through the generous support of the government of Canada towards the promotion of Gender Equity in sport.)