Welcoming Team Canada athletes

Smith’s partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee provides scholarships for Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes through Game Plan. Over the past year, another 15 exceptional athletes enrolled in Smith programs, from specialized master’s degrees to MBA programs.

After years of elite-level sport, the following athletes were granted Game Plan Awards to return to school and build their business acumen.

• David Ancor, Judo (Executive MBA Americas)
• John Smythe, Field Hockey (Executive MBA Americas)
• Heather Logan-Sprenger, Cycling (Executive MBA Americas)
• Louis-Pierre Mainville, Volleyball (Executive MBA)
• Kia Schollar, Canoe Kayak (Executive MBA)
• Steph Currie, Alpine (Graduate Diploma in Business)
• Mathieu Bilodeau, Athletics (Master of Finance)
• Matti Muru, Sailing (Master of International Business)
• Leah Ferguson, Wrestling (Master of Management Innovation & Entrepreneurship)
• Larissa Franklin, Softball (Master of Management Innovation & Entrepreneurship)
• Matthew Hallat, Para Alpine (Accelerated MBA)
• Meaghan Reid, Ice Hockey (Accelerated MBA)
• Jilliane Portelli, Volleyball (Accelerated MBA)
• Toby Ng, Badminton (Master of Management Analytics)
• Jérémie Venne, Para Athletics (Master of Management Analytics)

“High-level athletes are determined, collaborative, coachable and resilient. These are many of the characteristics we look for in students coming into our professional graduate programs,” said Wei Wang, associate dean, Professional Graduate Programs at Smith. “Together with Game Plan, Smith is proud to be supporting Canada’s national team athletes in developing the skills needed to excel in the ever-evolving world of business.”  

“Elite-level athletes are used to working with the best support staff and coaches as they pursue success on the international stage,” added Cara Button, senior manager, Game Plan. “It is no different when it comes to higher education. Game Plan athletes realize the value of a business degree from Smith.” 

Smith’s academic awards program is one component of the COC’s Game Plan, which empowers Canada’s national team athletes to pursue excellence by helping them plan for life after competitive sport.