This year COMDA is proud to be taking part in a new and exciting initiative aimed at strengthening our bond with the community. As part of the initiative, COMDA will be sponsoring the Women’s Final 8 Basketball Tournament taking place at Ryerson University between: March 7th - 10th. The Final 8 will showcase the very best of Canadian Women’s University basketball, and will serve as a platform for young athletes to propel themselves to the next stage of their basketball careers. In order to understand the importance of this partnership, we must first take a look at the rich history of the tournament.
The development of sport on university campuses across the country in the early 1900’s called for a governing body which would organize and overlook all functions concerning inter-university competitions. As a result, the CIAU Central was founded in 1906 in an effort to provide common rules and regulations for the association members. The organization originally consisted of only universities from Ontario and Quebec and later expanded to include universities from all across Canada. As the organization grew, and more funding was poured into university athletic programs, the CIAU changed its name to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) in 2001, and later rebranded as U Sports in 2016.
The decision to rebrand was a response to the changing dynamic of university sports consumption in the digital era. U Sports is committed to revitalize the place of sports in the national conversation by using all available resources. This is ultimately a powerful objective that celebrates and highlights the opportunities given to young athletes trying to excel in sports and academia. COMDA also celebrates opportunity and empowerment of our youth, which is why we decided to show our support for the tournament. We believed the event aligned with our values and ideals, so we immediately knew it was something we wanted to get behind. Moreover, with the event taking place in our own backyard it was more of a reason to become involved, as we have made a commitment to serve and help grow our community.
COMDA is proud to support these dedicated and talented athletes in our community. We hope our sponsorship will contribute to their successes and allow these talented athletes to reach their hoop dreams. The tournament’s long history, and the association’s recent efforts to increase their presence in the digital world, paved the way for us to come together under the common objective of providing opportunities for our youth. As a result, COMDA remains invested in its commitment to give back to the community.
Sources:
https://usports.ca/en/about/history
https://usports.ca/en/sports/basketball/f
