On Feb. 17, Canada won Olympic gold in the women’s hockey game against the United States. Before the game, the argument that the event shouldn’t be at the Olympics was raised. Dr. Ann Pegoraro, a sport management expert, spoke to several radio stations about why that argument isn’t valid. 

Speaking with Newstalk 770 CHQR in Calgary, 630 CHED in Edmonton and AM 900 in Hamilton, Pegoraro acknowledged the dominance of Canada and the U.S. in women’s hockey but said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cannot remove the sport due to gender equity rules. She said the IOC should instead focus on pushing sports federations to better fund women’s sports. 

Pegoraro is U of G’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics Chair in Sport Management and the director of the International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership. Her research interests include gender equity, sport consumers, marketing and communication.