Langford-based Canadian womens sevens rugby Olympic team wearing BIPOC shirts. Leah Hennel/COC
The Langford-based Canadian women’s sevens rugby Olympic team launched a blistering broadside Saturday in a media conference, mostly about societal issues, while wearing black T-shirts that read “BIPOC Lives Matter” and orange masks reading “Every Child Matters.” It’s unusual for athletes to appear at an official Games function not wearing their Team Canada kit.
“A year ago, our team would be sitting here solely talking about the game,” said veteran Canadian player Charity Williams.
“And the game is important to us and we are ready for that. But as we know, we are more than athletes. This is what it looks like when you decolonize your space.”
Williams is among six returnees from the Canadian bronze-medallist team at Rio 2016, which was a milestone for female sport in Canada, as rugby sevens made its Olympic debut.
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