What responsibility do athletes have beyond competition?
This week on Skin In The Game, John Cimperman and Tim O'Shei welcome Bruce Kidd, one of Canada's most celebrated distance runners, a former Olympian, scholar, author, and Officer of the Order of Canada.
Kidd reflects on his remarkable journey from a teenager discovering a talent for running in Toronto to representing Canada at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Along the way, he shares how sport became much more than competition, serving as a lens through which he explored politics, economics, culture, and social change. During his decades-long efforts to challenge racism, sexism, and inequality in sport, he experienced how athletes can use their platforms to create meaningful change and why sports remain one of society's most powerful mirrors.
Kidd also addresses two issues currently driving his advocacy work: the rapid expansion of sports betting and its impact on athletes and fans, and the ongoing debate surrounding sex testing and eligibility policies in international sport.
The episode concludes with a discussion of Kidd's memoir, A Runner's Journey, which chronicles his athletic career, academic work, and lifelong commitment to making sport more inclusive and equitable.
