At the 2016 Olympics, Canada stood on the podium in the women’s team pursuit. Allison Beveridge, Jasmin Glaesser, Kirsti Lay and Georgia Simmerling took the bronze. It was a helluva day for the track program. And, by the way, that was the second Olympic medal in the discipline for Canadian women. They snagged a bronze at London four years earlier.
Now, a decade later, the program is about to be shelved.
Performance objectives for team pursuit squad
In an email obtained by Canadian Cycling Magazine, Cycling Canada informed athletes and coaches that it will not send a women’s team pursuit squad to the 2026 UCI track world championships, citing performance projections and budget constraints.
The message said a recent review of the women’s track endurance program concluded it was “unlikely” a Canadian team pursuit squad would meet performance objectives at worlds next year. As a result, resources will be redirected toward individual events and longer-term development.
Open letter to CC and others
Athletes, however, are pushing back.
In an open letter addressed to Cycling Canada, Sport Canada and Own the Podium, members of the national women’s track endurance team argue the decision contradicts previous commitments, undermines an existing Olympic pathway, and raises serious equity concerns, particularly given that the men’s team pursuit program will continue.
They also point to what they describe as inconsistent communication around selection criteria and preparation priorities, saying athletes were not told that recent performances would determine the program’s future.
The letter calls for a formal review of the decision and asks that support for the women’s team pursuit program be reinstated for the 2026 world championships.
The open letter in full
We are writing to formally raise a concern regarding the decision by Cycling Canada to discontinue support for the women’s team pursuit program for the 2026 UCI track cycling world championships, while continuing to support the equivalent men’s program.
This decision directly contradicts prior communication from Cycling Canada leadership. In an email dated April 8, 2026, Sebastien Travers stated: “Our first priority is maintaining participation in the world championships in all the disciplines in which Canada is traditionally represented.” The women’s team pursuit is a discipline in which Canada has consistently participated and achieved success internationally. The announcement that the women’s team pursuit will not attend the 2026 world championships is therefore inconsistent with this stated priority.
Further, from a qualification standpoint, the women’s team pursuit is currently better positioned than other women’s track endurance disciplines. At present, Canada does not have sufficient points to qualify an individual for the women’s omnium or women’s madison; however, the Women’s team pursuit is already in a qualified position based on participation and results at the Pan American Championships and the UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong. Removing support at this stage undermines an already viable Olympic pathway.
In addition, there are serious concerns regarding communication and athlete preparation. At the preparatory camp in Milton ahead of the Hong Kong World Cup, athletes were explicitly advised by coach Phil Abbott that the team pursuit result would not be a determining factor, provided the team competed. Based on this direction, the strategic focus of the camp shifted toward bunch race preparation. If athletes had been informed that team pursuit performance at that event would directly influence the continuation of the program toward the LA 2028 Olympic Games, preparation priorities would have been adjusted accordingly. The athletes were therefore given direction that did not align with the criteria now being applied, and are being evaluated retroactively under conditions that were not communicated in advance.
Over the past 18 months of UCI-sanctioned competition, objective results demonstrate that the Women’s team pursuit program has performed at a level comparable to, and at times exceeding, the men’s program. At the 2024 world championships in Ballerup, the women placed 4th out of 10 teams compared to the men’s 6th out of 11. At the 2025 Nations Cup in Konya, the women placed 6th out of 9 while the men placed 9th out of 17. At the 2025 Pan American Championships in Paraguay, both programs achieved 2nd place. At the 2025 world championships in Santiago, results were comparable, with the women placing 9th out of 13 and the men 11th out of 16.
More recently, at the 2026 Pan American Championships in Santiago, the men won gold while the women placed 3rd; however, the women’s squad was a development line-up, including athletes with limited or no prior international team pursuit experience, whereas the men’s team consisted of athletes with established international experience racing together. At the 2026 Hong Kong World Cup, both programs placed within a similar range, with the men finishing 8th out of 13 and the women 10th out of 12. Taken together, these results indicate that the women’s program has historically delivered equivalent or stronger performances relative to the men’s program, with no sustained performance gap that would justify a unilateral withdrawal of support.
Section 1. Breach of Equity and Equal Opportunity Principles
Cycling Canada’s Equity, Access, and Eliminating Discrimination Policy states that participants are entitled to an environment that promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices, and ensures fair and equitable opportunities for all participants.
By withdrawing support for the Women’s team pursuit program while maintaining support for the men’s program, Cycling Canada is creating a disparity in access to high-performance opportunities based on gender.
Absent transparent, objective, and consistently applied performance criteria, this decision appears inconsistent with Cycling Canada’s obligations to provide equitable access and non-discriminatory treatment across programs.
Section 2. Inconsistency with High-Performance Program Mandate
Cycling Canada’s National Team framework emphasizes that international competition is foundational to athlete development and that the National Team program exists to deliver athletes to the world stage, including world championships and the Olympic Games.
The UCI Track Cycling world championships represent a cornerstone of this pathway. Denying participation to the Women’s team pursuit program removes access to one of the most critical development and performance environments available to Canadian athletes.
This decision therefore contradicts Cycling Canada’s own stated high-performance objectives.
Section 3. Direct Impact on Olympic Qualification for LA 2028
Participation in world championships is a key component of the Olympic qualification system for track cycling, governed internationally by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
Removing support for the 2026 world championships will eliminate a critical opportunity to earn Olympic qualification points, place Canadian women at a competitive disadvantage relative to other nations, and potentially preclude Canada from qualifying a Women’s team pursuit squad for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Given that both men’s and women’s team pursuit are equivalent Olympic events, this creates an unequal pathway to Olympic participation.
Section 4. Misalignment with National Sport System Objectives
Both Sport Canada and Own the Podium prioritize gender equity in high-performance sport, maximizing Canada’s medal potential at the Olympic Games, and supporting sustainable podium pathway programs.
The women’s team pursuit has historically been a competitive discipline for Canada and represents a legitimate Olympic medal pathway. Discontinuing support at a critical qualification stage undermines these national objectives and reduces Canada’s overall medal opportunities.
Section 5. Disproportionate and Adverse Impact
Even if not explicitly intended as discriminatory, the decision has a disproportionate negative impact on women athletes by restricting access to international competition, limiting development opportunities, and compromising Olympic qualification potential.
Such outcomes are inconsistent with established equity principles within the Canadian sport system.
Section 6. Request for Review and Action
Given the above, we respectfully request that:• Cycling Canada provide a clear and transparent rationale for this decision, including the criteria used and how they were applied across both men’s and women’s programs.
• The decision be formally reviewed in light of Cycling Canada’s equity and high-performance policies.
• Consideration be given to reinstating support for the Women’s team pursuit program’s participation at the 2026 world championships.
• Sport Canada and Own the Podium assess whether this decision aligns with federal sport policy, funding objectives, and gender equity commitments.
Cycling Canada has articulated a commitment to equitable opportunity, athlete development through international competition, and Olympic success. The current decision appears inconsistent with these commitments and risks long-term consequences for athletes, program integrity, and Canada’s international competitiveness.
We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Canadian National Women’s Track Endurance Team
Canadian Cycling Magazine has reached out to Cycling Canada for further comment and will update this ongoing story.