Seven Stingers athletes to represent Canada at 2025 FISU Winter Games

Concordia’s athletes will compete for Canada in men’s and women’s hockey.
Graphic by Monica Muresan / The Concordian

Last weekend, seven Stingers athletes gathered in Torino, Italy to compete in the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) Winter World University Games.

The competition kicked off on Jan. 11 and will include disciplines like skiing, snowboarding, curling, figure skating, and ice hockey, in which the Stingers will participate.

“With this opportunity, I get to meet so many incredible athletes from across the nation and the world, and that alone is something I will hold onto for the rest of my life,” said Stingers goaltender and fourth-year student Jordyn Verbeek. “Not only that but getting to experience the Games with three of my teammates from Concordia is super special to me.”

The tournament is one of the largest international sports events for university athletes. The FISU Games trace back to 1960, with its first edition in Chamonix, France. Since then, it has been held every other year, featuring thousands of athletes and officials from more than 50 countries.

Including those earned in the 2023 games, Canada has won 105 FISU Winter Games medals. This total consists of 33 gold, 30 silver, and 42 bronze medals. 

In 2023, Canada dominated hockey, winning gold in both men’s and women’s tournaments. The competition featured outstanding performances by Concordia Stingers athletes, such as Rosalie Bégin-Cyr and Emmy Fecteau for the women’s team and Tyler Hylland for the men’s team.

This year, seven Stingers athletes will represent Canada across the two hockey teams: goaltender Jordyn Verbeek, defender Alexandra-Anne Boyer, and forwards Émilie Lavoie and Émilie Lussier for the women’s team. As for the men’s team, defender Simon Lavigne and forwards Mikael Huchette and Mathieu Bizier have been selected. 

Since Concordia University does not have varsity teams in the other disciplines featured at the Games, hockey is the only sport for which Stingers will compete.

This opportunity is significant for many of the Stingers’ student-athletes. 

“It is a great opportunity to show everyone that our university is one of the best in the country, to project ourselves, and to prove how we can be one of the best universities year after year,” said Lavoie.

She added that representing Canada and wearing the maple leaf has always been a dream for her. She also emphasized her pride in representing Concordia University.

Torino’s six-hour time difference poses a unique challenge for the Stingers.

“We are not used to that time zone,” said third-year student Lavigne. “We also have a busy schedule, so managing our time and energy will be key.”

“The time change will be an adaptation at first, but it should get better the more time we have there,” Lavoie added. “I would also say playing with people you’ve never played with [will be a challenge]… They are the best players in the country, but they’re also players you are not used to playing with.”

Although adjusting might take time, she trusts the coaching staff to bring the best out of the team. 

The seven Stingers hit the ice on Jan. 11, and both hockey teams won their first games. The women won 16-0 against Taipei, and the men 11-0 against South Korea. The 2025 FISU Winter Games will be streamed live on FISU.TV, Discovery+, and Max until the conclusion on Jan. 23.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts