Elladj Baldé, the Canadian figure skating Champion, has joined forces with Icy Hot and KidSport Canada as their Canadian Brand Ambassador. This collaboration aims to address the issue of limited accessibility in youth sports in Canada. To support this cause, Icy Hot is making a $500K donation to KidSport Canada, directly benefiting 1,600 Canadian children. Elladj’s partnership will play a crucial role in spreading awareness about this remarkable initiative. We chatted with Elladj to learn more. —Vita Daily
Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.
I’m Elladj Baldé, a biracial Canadian figure skater, passionate about working to make skating more accessible and inclusive for all. I’ve had the opportunity to express my passion for performance and artistry on social media for the past two years, and perform in front of hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and it’s been amazing to see the support and awareness this has brought to people across all landscapes..
Congrats on being named Icy Hot and KidSport Canada’s Canadian Brand Ambassador! In this capacity, what role will you play? Why is this ambassadorship a perfect fit for you, personally?
As an athlete, I have used Icy Hot products to treat aches and pains and aid in the healing of various injuries. Now, with Icy Hot’s dedication to assisting young people who face financial obstacles in sports by providing a sizable sum of $500,000, this is the embodiment of everything i stand for as an athlete and really makes this role so important to me. I aim to help champion Icy Hot’s effort in this space, to make the biggest possible positive impact for future generations of talent in sport.
What are some of the current issues/challenges around accessibility in youth sports in Canada?
One of the major challenges for the youth is accessibility, whether it comes with starting or continuing their participation in sports. Financial aid can substantially increase accessibility in many sports, especially ones like figure skating that are on the more expensive side.
Do different accessibility issues apply to different types of youth sports in Canada?
Yes. Take skating for example, one of the biggest issues is simply the cost, whereas soccer, being the sport the most played in the world, has a much lower entry cost. Another issue in figure skating is accessibility to ice rinks. A lot of indoor and outdoor ice rinks are in middle or more upper class communities whereas lower income and underserved communities rinks are sometimes nonexistent or rundown which makes it difficult to access if a family has to drive or commute to a different community to find a rink.
How will Icy Hot’s generous donation help open up access to Canadian kids who love and want to join organized sports?
Icy Hot’s generous donation will allow youth to sign up and participate in sports they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. This allows equal opportunity to youth no matter their financial situation which is incredible.
As a youth, what assistance were you given to pursue sports?
Growing up, my instructors were really accommodating when it came to billing my parents because they knew we couldn’t afford it and I also received assistance from several grants. I wouldn’t be here today if not for these two factors. But the only reason I was eligible for those awards was because I was competing in figure skating and I wouldn’t have been able to skate if I had only wanted to do it recreationally. So with this alone, there are barriers to entry that hopefully with future aid, will help to be eliminated moving forward.
How can we all join the movement?
You can join the movement by furthering the discussion and raising awareness of the existing problems and obstacles relating to accessibility in Canadian youth sports. Of course, supporting local youth sports and offering assistance in any manner you can is crucial as well; every action, no matter how small or large, makes a difference.
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