“It’s an absolute gut punch”: McGill athletes reeling after 25 teams cut

[daftandbarmy]

Alot of Colleges and Universities are struggling for $, and these are some of the things that are going to go first...

“It’s an absolute gut punch”: McGill athletes reeling after 25 teams cut​

Hundreds of McGill University student-athletes say they’ve been left devastated after learning the school will eliminate 25 varsity teams beginning in the 2026–2027 season.

One of the programs that will be cut is both men’s and women’s track and field, one of the most storied teams in the country. The program was preparing to enter its 126th season, but this year’s campaign will now be its last.

Track and field co-captain Rebecca Warcholak said the news came without warning.

“We felt largely like it was out of the blue. We don’t really understand why it happened,” she said.

Warcholak added that even their longtime coach was stunned.

“Our head coach has been here for over 40 years, and it was a shock to him as well, which was really hard for us to see.”

For many athletes, McGill’s decision alters far more than their training schedules. It dramatically changes their university experience. Second-year athlete William Sanders said the cuts undermine the commitment the school made to student-athletes.

“It’s just an absolute gut punch, I came to McGill because I was promised that this was an institution that values both academic and athletic excellence,” he said. “To hear that my career could be over in three months if I don’t leave Montreal or leave McGill, it’s just hard to wrap my head around.”

Women’s rugby is another program that will be discontinued. Maya Nanji said the loss will reshape her day-to-day life.

“It’s an absolute gut punch”: McGill athletes reeling after 25 teams cut

Hundreds of McGill University student-athletes say they’ve been left devastated after learning the school will eliminate 25 varsity teams beginning in the 2026–2027 season.

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[lenaitch]

Sad, but it is an educational facility after all, and budgets are tight. I don't know if McGill drank heavily from the foreign student well as others, particularly colleges, did.

 

[Rifleman62]

Or this be a not so subtle method to draw attention and government funds.

 

[dapaterson]

Or this be a not so subtle method to draw attention and government funds.

English school making cuts is not a "draw government attention" issue in Quebec.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Or this be a not so subtle method to draw attention and government funds.

Could be. Across the line, they've been providing an example for years: when Congress budgets fights lead to "shutdowns", close the parks and other high-visibility stuff first.

It's also possible that athletics consumes a lot of money relative to other activities. It certainly does at the high school level.

 

[Genetk44]

Sad, but it is an educational facility after all, and budgets are tight. I don't know if McGill drank heavily from the foreign student well as others, particularly colleges, did.

Yes it did and it also got subsidies from the Quebec government. But the Quebec government cut the subsidies and also put massive restrictions on their foreign student numbers to the English universities this year. They are slowly strangling the English system.