Olympic Medalist Kylie Masse Joins Swimming Canada’s Athlete Advisory Council
Five-time Olympic medalist Kylie Masse has joined Swimming Canada’s High Performance Athlete Advisory Council, one of 10 athletes that serve as a bridge between athletes and administration.
Masse has a national teamer for more than a decade. She owns five career Olympic medals, including silvers in both backstroke events at the Tokyo Olympics and bronze in the 200 back from last summer’s Paris Games.
She’s a 20-time medalist at the World Championships, the most ever for a Canadian swimmer, with nine in long-course and 11 in short-course. That includes golds in the long-course 100 back in 2017 and 2019 and in the 50 back in 2022.
“I am looking forward to being a part of the athlete council again,” Masse said in a press release. “With so many incredible past and present athletes on board, I hope to contribute to many conversations and facilitate change. I hope to aid Swimming Canada and our sporting organizations to new heights, through plans that incorporate the athletes’ opinions.”
Masse, who will serve for 2025, is one of four women and six men on the council. Comprised of current and former elite swimmers, it is co-chaired by her fellow three-time Olympian Javier Acevedo and Tokyo Paralympian Zack Zona. Matt Dans serves as the communication liaison between the board and Swimming Canada’s high-performance team.
The advisory council also includes Alex Axon, Jeremy Bagshaw, Josh Liendo, Rachel Nicol, Finlay Knox, Tess Routliffe and Abi Tripp.
“It feels good to be bringing this council back together for another term,” Acevedo said. “We worked hard last year, with the big accomplishment being the Olympic & Paralympic Trials. We voiced our opinions to Swimming Canada leadership, allowing us to have trials in Toronto. It was a big decision-making process. We’ll always have athletes’ needs at heart.”
The Athlete Advisory Council’s purpose is, “to provide constructive feedback to the organization and advocate for the athletes’ best interests.” It seeks to align the needs of athletes and Swimming Canada’s strategic vision, for the year of its tenure and for the larger Olympic cycle.
Among the changes coming this year are two-year terms for five of the 10 positions, with the remaining four to occupy one-year stints.
“The athletes have driven this change to the terms of reference, including term limits longer than one year and alternating terms,” Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins said. “The athletes felt this was important, and we are listening to their voices.”