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U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), Canada West (CW), and Atlantic University Sport (AUS). The equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Some institutions are members of both bodies for different sports.
A growth spurt between 1944–55 saw the CIAU Central grow into a large group of nineteen (19) member universities each of which had diverse enrollment, philosophy, and practices both academically and athletically. The result saw the collapse of CIAU Central as there was no forum to evaluate or research policy in order to adjudicate conflicts within the organization
At the same time women's programs were expanding and required organization. In 1923, the Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WIAU) was founded to provide athletic competition for female students in Ontario and the Ontario-Quebec Women's Intercollegiate Athletics (O-QWICA) coordinated programs for female students in Ontario and Quebec.
With the collapse of the CIAU Central in the mid-1950s, calls for a new, national governing body for university sport accelerated. Once the Royal Military College of Canada became a degree granting institution, Major W. J. (Danny) McLeod, athletic director at the RMC directed the establishment of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU) in 1961. History of CIS
With financial assistance from the federal government, universities committed themselves to excellence in their sports programs, increased their schedules, and assigned coaches to year round programs to assist the federal government in identifying talent, national training centers, provision of facilities, sport research, and testing, all with an eye on developing international competitors.
Major McLeod ran the CIAU from his office at RMC as the first CIAU Secretary-Treasurer. In the 1960s the CIAU functioned as a voluntary, autonomous, educational sport organization which represented by the various universities from coast to coast.
In 1978, the Canadian Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (CWIAU), which had formed in 1970, merged with the CIAU; the expanded CIAU reinforced its university focus by adjusting its name to the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union.
In June 2001, the membership of the CIAU voted to change the name and logo of the organization to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
Increasingly, U Sports schools are offering booster-support programs, where alumni, parents and/or corporations can donate money to a targeted fund especially designed to off-set a student-athlete's tuition and living costs. The University of Windsor has an Adopt-A-Lancer program,Lancer Sports News. University of Windsor (website). "Lancer Football Introduces Touchdown Club" accessed April 9, 2007 for example. U Sports has no regulations regarding how much each school can provide to teams through private support. The Université Laval's Rouge et Or football team, winner of seven of the last 12 , is so successful with fund raising that the team trains in Florida during the spring.CBC News. Laval's team was profiled during their training camp in Florida. Broadcast before Vanier Cup 2006.
Canadian Hockey League teams offer financial support for their graduates – who attend school within two years of playing major junior – who choose to play for a U Sports school after graduating from major junior hockey based on a model where the league will give scholarships commensurate with the seasons they played in the CHL.
Beginning with the 2024–25 season, students will be able to receive athletic scholarships regardless of the grades they receive in their final year of high school or CEGEP. U Sports institutions will also be required to give a minimum of 45 per cent of their total athletic scholarship units to athletes on men's teams and a minimum of 45 per cent to athletes on women's teams.
| + U Sports !Sport !Men !Women | ||
| Basketball | 1963– | 1987– |
| Cross country | 1963– | 1988– |
| Curling | 2008– | 2008– |
| Field hockey | 1975– | |
| Football | Vanier Cup | |
| Ice hockey | 1963– | 1998– |
| Rugby union | 1998– | |
| Soccer | 1972– | 1987– |
| Swimming | 1965– | 1971– |
| Track & field | 1981– | 1981– |
| Volleyball (indoor) | 1967– | 1971– |
| Wrestling | 1969– | 1999– |
| Acadia University | Axemen (M), Axewomen (W) | Wolfville | Nova Scotia | 1838 | Public | 4,650 | $40M | AUS |
| Cape Breton University | CBU Capers | Sydney | Nova Scotia | 2005 | Public | 3,500 | $6.1M | AUS |
| Dalhousie University | Dalhousie Tigers | Halifax | Nova Scotia | 1818 | Public | 18,940 | $478M | AUS |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | Sea-Hawks | St. John's | NL | 1925 | Public | 18,172 | $93M | AUS |
| Mount Allison University | Mounties | Sackville | New Brunswick | 1839 | Public | 2,260 | $141.1M | AUS |
| Université de Moncton | Aigles Bleus (M), Aigles Bleues (W) | Moncton | New Brunswick | 1864 | Public | 4,187 | — | AUS |
| University of New Brunswick | Reds | Fredericton | New Brunswick | 1785 | Public | 9,000 | — | AUS |
| University of Prince Edward Island | UPEI Panthers | Charlottetown | PEI | 1969 | Public | 4,000 | — | AUS |
| Saint Mary's University | Huskies | Halifax | Nova Scotia | 1802 | Public | 7,040 | $16.9M | AUS |
| St. Francis Xavier University | X-Men (M), X-Women (W) | Antigonish | Nova Scotia | 1853 | Public | 5,150 | $59.4M | AUS |
| St. Thomas University | Tommies | Fredericton | New Brunswick | 1910 | Public | 2,633 | — | AUS |
| University of British Columbia | UBC Thunderbirds | UBC Vancouver | British Columbia | 1908 | Public | 43,579 | $1.16B | CW |
| Trinity Western University | Spartans | Langley | British Columbia | 1962 | Private-Christian | 2,700 | — | CW |
| University of Victoria | Victoria Vikes | Victoria | British Columbia | 1903 | Public | 19,500 | $348M | CW |
| University of the Fraser Valley | Cascades | Abbotsford | British Columbia | 1974 | Public | 21,500 | — | CW |
| University of Northern British Columbia | Timberwolves | Prince George | British Columbia | 1990 | Public | 4,183 | — | CW |
| Thompson Rivers University | WolfPack | Kamloops | British Columbia | 1970 | Public | 13,072 | — | CW |
| University of British Columbia Okanagan | Heat | Kelowna | British Columbia | 2005 | Public | 6,015 | — | CW |
| University of Alberta | Golden Bears (M), Pandas (W) | Edmonton | Alberta | 1908 | Public | 36,435 | $1.0B | CW |
| University of Calgary | Calgary Dinos | Calgary | Alberta | 1966 | Public | 28,196 | $568M | CW |
| MacEwan University | MacEwan Griffins | Edmonton | Alberta | 1971 | Public | 13,889 | — | CW |
| Mount Royal University | Cougars | Calgary | Alberta | 1910 | Public | 14,175 | — | CW |
| University of Saskatchewan | Huskies | Saskatoon | Saskatchewan | 1907 | Public | 19,082 | $247M | CW |
| University of Lethbridge | Pronghorns | Lethbridge | Alberta | 1967 | Public | 8,765 | $24.5M | CW |
| Brandon University | Brandon Bobcats | Brandon | Manitoba | 1890 | Public | 3,383 | — | CW |
| University of Regina | Regina Rams, Regina Cougars | Regina | Saskatchewan | 1911 | Public | 12,800 | $25.9M | CW |
| University of Winnipeg | Winnipeg Wesmen | Winnipeg | Manitoba | 1871 | Public | 9,219 | — | CW |
| University of Manitoba | Manitoba Bisons | Winnipeg | Manitoba | 1877 | Public | 27,599 | $424M | CW |
| Carleton University | Carleton Ravens | Ottawa | Ontario | 1942 | Public | 25,262 | $190M | OUA |
| University of Ottawa | Ottawa Gee-Gees | Ottawa | Ontario | 1848 | Public | 35,548 | $201M | OUA |
| University of Toronto | Varsity Blues | Toronto | Ontario | 1827 | Public | 56,383 | $1.66B | OUA |
| Toronto Metropolitan University | TMU Bold | Toronto | Ontario | 1948 | Public | 24,000 | $118M | OUA |
| Queen's University | Golden Gaels | Kingston | Ontario | 1841 | Public | 20,566 | $722M | OUA |
| York University | York Lions | Toronto | Ontario | 1959 | Public | 42,400 | $373M | OUA |
| Laurentian University | Voyageurs | Greater Sudbury | Ontario | 1960 | Public | 7,758 | $36M | OUA |
| Algoma University | Thunderbirds | Sault Ste. Marie | Ontario | 1964 | Public | 1,427 | — | OUA |
| Royal Military College of Canada | RMC Paladins | Kingston | Ontario | 1876 | Public | 900 Profile of Royal Military College of Canada – Ontario, Universities in Canada . Canadian-universities.net. Retrieved on July 24, 2013. | OUA | |
| Trent University | Trent Excalibur | Peterborough | Ontario | 1964 | Public | 7,160 | $43M | OUA |
| Nipissing University | Nipissing Lakers | North Bay | Ontario | 1909 | Public | 6,300 | $11M | OUA |
| Ontario Tech University | Ridgebacks | Oshawa | Ontario | 2003 | Public | 10,000 | — | OUA |
| University of Western Ontario | Western Mustangs | London | Ontario | 1878 | Public | 30,000 | $685M | OUA |
| University of Windsor | Windsor Lancers | Windsor | Ontario | 1857 | Public | 13,496 | $70M | OUA |
| McMaster University | Marauders | Hamilton | Ontario | 1887 | Public | 25,688 | $553M | OUA |
| University of Guelph | Guelph Gryphons | Guelph | Ontario | 1964 | Public | 19,408 | $264M | OUA |
| University of Waterloo | Warriors | Waterloo | Ontario | 1957 | Public | 27,978 | $282M | OUA |
| Wilfrid Laurier University | Golden Hawks | Waterloo | Ontario | 1911 | Public | 12,394 | — | OUA |
| Brock University | Brock Badgers | St. Catharines | Ontario | 1964 | Public | 17,000 | $74M | OUA |
| Lakehead University | Thunderwolves | Thunder Bay | Ontario | 1946 | Public | 8,050 | $32.1M | OUA |
| Concordia University | Stingers | Montreal | Quebec | 1896 | Public | 38,809 | $344.04M | RSEQ |
| Université Laval | Rouge et Or | Quebec City | Quebec | 1663 | Public | 37,591 | $105.3M | RSEQ |
| Université du Québec à Montréal | UQAM Citadins | Montreal | Quebec | 1969 | Public | 39,235 | — | RSEQ |
| McGill University | Redbirds (M), Martlets (W) | Montreal | Quebec | 1821 | Public | 32,514 | $1.32B | RSEQ |
| Bishop's University | Gaiters | Lennoxville | Quebec | 1843 | Public | 2,800 | — | RSEQ |
| École de technologie supérieure | ETS Piranhas | Montreal | Quebec | 1974 | Public | 11,000 | — | RSEQ |
| Université de Montréal | Carabins | Montreal | Quebec | 1878 | Public | 55,540 | $276M | RSEQ |
| Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | UQTR Patriotes | Trois-Rivières | Quebec | 1969 | Public | 10,000 | — | RSEQ |
| Université de Sherbrooke | Vert & Or | Sherbrooke | Quebec | 1954 | Public | 35,000 | — | RSEQ |
| Université du Québec à Chicoutimi | UQAC Inuk | Chicoutimi | Quebec | 1969 | Public | 6,500 | — | RSEQ |
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