Sports
Mikael Kingsbury’s dream year earns him male athlete of the year honours
MONTREAL — Mikael Kingsbury never had so much to lose as on Feb. 12, when he hit the track at the Phoenix Snow Park. As the odds-on favourite in the men’s moguls event at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the 26-year-old ski star was well aware that only a victory would meet expectations.
Going second-last in the super final, Kingsbury rose to the occasion. In full control, he nailed a perfect descent that earned him the one title that had eluded him: Olympic champion.
“I was in the position where it was gold or nothing,” the athlete from Deux-Montagnes, Que. said of his second Olympic experience.
“For those who follow my sport, even a second place would have been considered a poor performance. Yes, there was pressure but, at the top of the course, I had a really good feeling. And when that’s the case, I have confidence and that’s always a good sign.”
Kingsbury’s dream year earns him the Lionel Conacher Award from The Canadian Press as Canada’s male athlete of the year.
The Quebec skier was chosen by 30 of the 56 sportswriters and commentators from newsrooms across the country.
He beat out Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid (12 votes), who won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer as well as the Ted Lindsay Award for outstanding player as selected by his peers.
Next on the list was soccer phenom Alphonso Davies with five votes, double Olympic speed skating medallist Ted-Jan Bloeman (3), para-skier Brian McKeever (3), New Jersey Devils winger Taylor Hall (2), and Ottawa Redblacks receiver Brad Sinopoli (1).
“I could have chosen McDavid, as we chose (Sidney) Crosby at one time, but Kingsbury’s gold was one of the strongest moments of the Korean games, leading into performances by other Canadian athletes,” wrote Le Quotidien’s Denis Bouchard.
“No other Canadian athlete dominates their sport as outrageously as Mikael Kingsbury,” wrote Jean-Francois Begin of La Presse.
While Olympic gold was undoubtedly the highlight of his year, Kingsbury continued to dominate the World Cup circuit with seven victories in 10 starts, including three in a row to end the 2017-18 season.
He won two Crystal Globes at the end of the last World Cup season as overall men’s freestyle points leader and overall men’s moguls leader.
Kingsbury becomes the first skier to win the Lionel Conacher Award, which is named after the multi-sport champion chosen as the top athlete of the first half of the 20th century in 1950.
Golfer Brooke Henderson was awarded the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as female athlete of the year on Wednesday for the third time. The sports team of the year will be named on Friday.
Earlier this month Kingsbury was also awarded the Toronto Star’s Lou Marsh Award for top Canadian athlete.
“It’s crazy to have had this much success,” Kingsbury said. “It’s an almost perfect season. My worst 2018 result was a second place.”
“Compared to other sports, like tennis, it’s as if I won all the Grand Slam finals.”
Kingsbury dominates his sport.
In January 2018 Kingsbury set a new record for World Cup wins with his 47th victory. He has 52 victories in 93 starts.
“I kind of feel like I have an aura around me. Without saying I intimidate the other competitors due to my repeated success, I have a great confidence in my abilities, I make few errors and that lets me find little advantages over them,” he said.
“But I know I have a big target on my back and they all want to beat me. I’ve been first in the world for seven years, and every year there are those who say, ‘Kingsbury, we’re going to push him aside.’ It makes the competition even more interesting.”
And even if he’s won everything, don’t expect him to relinquish his throne. Kingsbury says there’s still plenty to motivate him.
“I love to win and I still want to win, but my motivation isn’t necessarily found in results,” he said. “I’m aiming above all to reach my full potential, to innovate in my sport, to try new jumps. I want to see how far I can go.”
“While perfection doesn’t exist in my sport, my goal is to get as close as possible to it and to push the limits, in speed as well as the execution of my jumps.”
Marc Delbes, The Canadian Press
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the federal, Ontario and municipal governments to publicly reject subsidizing a new arena for the Ottawa Senators.
“Politicians need to stand up for taxpayers and tell the Ottawa Senators’ lobbyists NO,” said Noah Jarvis, CTF Ontario Director. “Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe all need to publicly reject giving taxpayers’ money to the owners of the Ottawa Senators.”
The Ottawa Citizen recently reported that “the Ottawa Senators have a team off the ice lobbying federal and provincial governments for funds to help pay the hefty price tag for a new arena.”
The Ottawa Senators said they don’t intend on asking the city of Ottawa for taxpayer dollars. However, the Ottawa Citizen reported that “it’s believed Senators’ owner Michael Andlauer would like a similar structure to the [Calgary] arena deal.” The Calgary arena deal included municipal subsidies.
As of December 2024, the Ottawa Senators were worth just under $1.2 billion, according to Forbes.
Meanwhile, both the federal and Ontario governments are deep in debt. The federal debt will reach $1.35 trillion by the end of the year. The Ontario government is $459 billion in debt. The city of Ottawa is proposing a 3.75 per cent property tax increase in 2026.
“Governments are up to their eyeballs in debt and taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund a brand-new fancy arena for a professional sports team,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “If the owners of the Ottawa Senators want to build a fancy new arena, then they should be forced to fund it with ticket sales not tax hikes.”
From LifeSiteNews
By Matt Lamb
Egyptian and Iranian officials are opposed to a plan to celebrate homosexuality and transgenderism during a FIFA World Cup soccer game scheduled for June 2026.
A planned “Pride Match” at next year’s FIFA World Cup in North America is facing pushback from Iran and Egypt.
The soccer federation recently released its matchups for the tournament, which will be hosted in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. But the Egypt and Iran match clashes with an LGBT group’s plan to celebrate homosexuality and transgenderism in conjunction with the game.
The “Pride Match” is not an official designation by FIFA, but rather the local host committee and LGBT activists.
“Seattle PrideFest has been organized in the city since 2007 by a non-profit which designated the June 26 game for celebration before FIFA made the World Cup draw Friday,” according to the Associated Press (AP). The soccer match coincides with Seattle PrideFest.
“Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point,” Medhi Taj, with Iran’s Football Federation told state media, the AP reported.
Ado Rida, Taj’s counterpart in Egypt, noted that the predominantly Islamic country “completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”
Seattle FIFA World CUP 2026, the local host committee, has no plans to intervene against the celebration, which will likely offend practicing Muslims who oppose homosexuality as sinful. Both Egypt and Iran punish homosexuality.
“The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle,” Hana Tadesse told the AP. “We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect and dignity that defines our region.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times suggests there might be conflict with FIFA rules that forbid the matches from being used to push a political agenda.
“The soccer body’s ethical codes, specifically Article 4, call for neutrality regarding political and social issues, and players who violate the code could face punishment that includes a ban on playing soccer for up to two years,” the news outlet reported. This could also, in theory, be used to punish players who protest the LGBT agenda.
“During World Cup 2022, FIFA warned players against wearing L.G.B.T.Q. OneLove rainbow armbands that were meant to bring attention to gay rights in Qatar, and it said they would be handed yellow warning cards on the pitch if they wore them,” the Times reported.
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