Friends of McGill T&F
McGill University has announced that it will discontinue the men’s and women’s varsity Track & Field program in 2026. This decision would bring an end to one of the University’s longest-standing and most successful athletic traditions.
Friends of McGill Track & Field is a group of athletes, alumni, coaches, and supporters working together to change that outcome. We are united by a shared belief that Track & Field is integral to McGill’s identity, student experience, and role in Canadian sport.
Our goal is to secure a sustainable future for the program through constructive dialogue, transparent decision-making, and collaboration with McGill and sport partners. We are ready to contribute ideas, resources, and lived experience to help build a better path forward.
Take action now:
Read our statements & open letters
Sign the petition
Why it matters
Legacy & identity
Track & Field has been part of McGill for more than a century. It is one of the University’s longest-standing and most successful varsity programs, producing Olympians, national team athletes, Academic All-Canadians, and McGill Sports Hall of Fame inductees.
Student experience & community
For current athletes, Track & Field is not just a sport. It is a community and support system that helps them succeed academically, socially, and personally. Cutting the program dismantles that community.
Impact beyond McGill
McGill’s facilities – including a rare indoor banked track – serve athletes from across Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. Removing varsity Track & Field at McGill weakens an already limited track & field ecosystem and narrows opportunities for future generations of athletes.
Our position and our ask
We recognize that McGill, like many universities, faces real financial, staffing, and facility constraints. But a decision that ends a 100-plus-year varsity program and reshapes the sport system in Quebec and Canada should be made with transparency, consultation, and creativity – not elimination without meaningful engagement of those most affected.
We are asking McGill University to:
- Reconsider the decision to discontinue men’s and women’s varsity Track & Field;
- Provide a clear explanation of the data, criteria, and analysis used to justify this outcome; and
- Establish a working group that includes athletes, coaches, alumni, and sport partners to explore sustainable options for the program.
Friends of McGill Track & Field, current athletes, alumni, and sport partners are ready to work with the University on a constructive path forward.