Underwater football in jeopardy after being denied recognition by Sport Manitoba
The made-in-Manitoba sport of underwater football is in jeopardy after it was denied recognition by Sport Manitoba.
This news comes as the Manitoba Underwater Council – underwater football’s parent organization – failed to meet the requirements to stay under the umbrella of Sport Manitoba.
“This is in no way trying to eliminate an activity,” said Janet McMahon, president and CEO of Sport Manitoba, in an interview on Tuesday.
“But it is around trying to create some standards that everyone can meet [so] that we can guarantee that participants have quality programming, that we are offering it to everyone, and it’s similar across the board in terms of what the expectations are.”
Underwater football started at the University of Manitoba in the 1960s and is played in several provinces today.
The lack of recognition doesn’t impact whether affected organizations can continue operating as clubs or provincial bodies, but means they aren’t eligible for funding and services provided by Sport Manitoba.
For the Manitoba Underwater Council, the issue lies with losing out on liability insurance, as without it, pools can’t be booked.
Keith Peters, president of the University of Manitoba Underwater Football Club, said he’s been scrambling to find insurance somewhere else.
“We’re going to lose pool time. We’re not going to be able to book a pool. We’re not going to be able to run our programs. That’s a huge concern,” said Keith Peters, president of the University of Manitoba Underwater Football Club,
Peters said he’s been scrambling to find insurance somewhere else as most regular insurance companies aren’t able to cover the sport. Sport Manitoba said it is open to helping.
“We are willing to work with them to find reasonable insurance for that area, but they don’t meet the organizational standards that we require of our other 60 provincial sport bodies,” McMahon said.
There have been past situations where a sport was denied membership by Sport Manitoba, but then came back later, met the standards, and received acceptance as a provincial sport organization.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks beat Oilers 5-4 in comeback to take Game 1
The Vancouver Canucks won the first game of their NHL playoffs series with the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Wednesday night coming back from a three-goal deficit.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.