Babies... at the Olympics?

Kim Gaucher played on the Canadian women’s Olympic basketball team in Tokyo in 2021. She was a new mom at the time and still breastfeeding her daughter, Sophie. Babies weren’t allowed to sleep in the Olympic Village, so Gaucher’s husband and daughter stayed in a hotel nearby. She pumped between events, then her husband taxi’d over from the hotel to pick up the pumped breastmilk and give Gaucher some time with her daughter. Sounds like an exhausting logistical arrangement.

Babies are still not allowed to stay in the Olympic Village—but this year the IOC is a little more sympathetic to the challenges of athlete-parents. It has arranged for hotel accommodations close to the village for breastfeeding competitors and dedicated a space in the Olympic Village for a nursery. Created by P&G (the company that makes Pampers) as a sanctuary for parents for athlete-parents to breastfeed, change diapers and hang out, it will be equipped with books, toys and plush furniture. Tots will even get their own official accreditation cards so they can access the room with a caregiver.

In the August issue of Maclean’s, Rachel Heinrichs explores all the complex issues elite athlete-parents face today–physically, emotionally, sociologically. It’s a fascinating account of a new frontier.

—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief

Philip Kim grew up in Vancouver, the child of Korean immigrants who wanted him to pursue a post-secondary education. He surprised them instead when he fell in love with breakdancing—or “breaking” as the sport is officially called—and devoted his teenage years to developing his skills. In the August issue of Maclean’s, we feature Kim along with a few other Canadian athletes who are pioneers in non-traditional sports like surfing and skateboarding.

She overcame asthma, broken bones and COVID-induced delays, winning a Tokyo gold along the way. Now she’s off to Paris to defend her supremacy.

Everything you need to know about earning your MBA at Canada’s top schools

CULTURE PICK

Yes, that Keanu Reeves. Believe it or not, The Book of Elsewhere is the actor’s sixth book. In 2021, his comic series BRZRKR— about a half-god, half-mortal named “B” who channels his violent urges into his work for the U.S. government—became the highest-selling original comic book to debut in a quarter-century. Now, with help from acclaimed British speculative fiction author China Miéville, he’s reimagining BRZRKR as a novel. The book’s a great opportunity to study up on this weird and wonderful world before it morphs again: Netflix has big plans to bring the comic to the big screen (starring Reeves, naturally).

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