Manitoba athletes are recognized worldwide for their talent and ability to compete at the highest levels of their sports. Athletes like Jocelyn Larocque, Kati Tabin, Travis Sanheim, and Mark Stone are representing Manitoba on the world stage in Italy this month, with many others continuing to represent the best our province has to offer.

Community sports build character and community, while creating the foundation of a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages. Leagues and arenas across the province serve as valuable connectors in both cities and towns. Young people benefit greatly from organized sports as well, and it is vital that communities do what they can to support grassroots and amateur sports in their areas.

Manitoba Pork has a long track record of supporting amateur sports in communities throughout the province. That includes supporting the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), CurlManitoba, and the Manitoba High Schools Athletics Association (MHSAA) through financial contributions that help ensure we continue to grow high-caliber athletes while also sustaining the games themselves.

Communities like Winkler, Neepawa, Niverville, and Steinbach are proud to host Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) franchises, each with decorated histories. These franchises receive strong community support and pay it forward through food drives, Christmas toy drives, and other philanthropic efforts. These towns and cities welcome young hockey players here and throughout Canada into their homes and schools during the hockey season, and in turn, those players give their new, adopted communities something to rally around.

Manitoba is known nationally and globally as a hotbed of curling. Our province has produced Olympic, world, and national champions in men’s, women’s, and mixed curling, and CurlManitoba, along with their support of today’s champions, mentors young curlers and those just getting introduced to the game.

Since 1962, the MHSAA has been the oversight body for high school athletics in the province, operating 11 official sports and hosting more than 50 provincial championships, comprising approximately 40,000 Manitoba student athletes. This year, Manitoba Pork is proud to partner with the MHSAA on the “Fuel Her Future” award, recognizing outstanding female athletes across the province in each division and in each sport at the end of the season. Women’s sports are the fastest-growing in terms of viewership, yet they are often financially supported at a much lower rate. It is crucial to support the next generation of female athletes in Manitoba and ensure they continue having a place to play.

On behalf of its farmers, large and small, Manitoba Pork will continue to support athletes through amateur sports organizations like the MJHL, CurlManitoba, and the MHSAA to help athletes excel in sport, foster the value of teamwork, and build community pride.

To learn more, visit manitobapork.com/community