Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (or CCAA). Some institutions are members of both bodies for different sports.

The Canadian Interuniversity Sport's name in French is Sport interuniversitaire canadien (SIC).

The original Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) Central was founded in 1906 and existed until 1955, composed only of universities from Ontario and Quebec. With the collapse of the CIAU Central in the mid 1950s, calls for a new, national governing body for university sport accelerated. Once the Royal Military College of Canada became a degree granting institution, Major W.J. (Danny) McLeod, Athletic Director at the RMC directed the establishment of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU) in 1961.^[1][2] Major McLeod ran the CIAU from his office at RMC as the first CIAU Secretary-Treasurer. In the 1960s the CIAU functioned as a voluntary, autonomous, educational sport organization which represented by the various universities from coast to coast. In 1978, the CIAU changed its name to the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union.^[1] It changed its name to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) in June 2001 due to growing misconceptions about the name of the organization since the term "athletic" was associated with track and field and "union" with labour movements.

The 54th member of the CIS is Mount Royal University.^[3]

[edit] Sanctioned sports^[4]

Athletic funding[link]

The CIS member institutions offer athletic scholarships; subject to minimum academic requirements. The athletic scholarships are capped and may not exceed the value of the tuition and compulsory fees for the student-athlete. Universities also may provide additional non-athletic awards including academic scholarships and needs-based grants for athletes in addition to this cap, provided the additional awards do not include athletic criteria. In 2008/2009 one in two CIS athletes was receiving an athletic scholarship. [2]

Increasingly, CIS schools are offering booster-support programs, where alumni, parents and/or corporations can donate money to a targeted fund especially designed to off-set a student-athlete's tuition and living costs. The University of Windsor has an Adopt-A-Lancer program,^[5] for example. The CIS has no regulations regarding how much each school can provide to teams through private support. The Université Laval's Rouge et Or football team, winner of the last 4 of 8 Vanier Cups, is so successful fund raising, the team trains in Florida during the spring.^[6]

Canadian Hockey League teams offer financial support for their graduates - who attend school within two years of playing major junior - who choose to play for a CIS school after graduating from major junior hockey. Hockey players who play in the CHL are ineligible for NCAA athletic scholarships, although many attend a CHL training camp. However, they can only stay a max of 48 hours and can not dress in any games.

[edit] Championships^[7]

Fall Term[link]

[edit] Week 1^[8]

• Canadian Interuniversity Sports women's field hockey championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's rugby championship

Week 2[link]

• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's soccer championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's soccer championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's cross country championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's cross country championship

Week 3[link]

• Mitchell Bowl (men's football semi-final)
• Uteck Bowl (men's football semi-final)

Week 4[link]

• Vanier Cup (men's football)

Winter[link]

[edit] Week 1^[9]

• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's swimming championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's swimming championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's wrestling championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's wrestling championship

Week 2[link]

• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's volleyball championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's volleyball championship

Week 3[link]

• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's ice hockey championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's track and field championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's track and field championship

Week 4[link]

• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's basketball championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's curling championship
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's curling championship

Week 5[link]

• University Cup (men's ice hockey)

Members[link]

There are 54 member Universities in CIS.^[10]

The 54 member universities of CIS are currently organized into the four following regional associations. In some of these sports, these associations are sometimes referred to as conferences.

• Atlantic University Sport (AUS)

• Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA)

• Ontario University Athletics (OUA)

• Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)

• Not allowed under Federal Ethics Rules

Basketball[link]

In sports with heavy university participation, like basketball, some of the conferences have divisions. CWUAA has two divisions: Pacific and Prairie; while the OUA also has two: West and East.

The CIS men's and women's basketball teams are organized in the following way:

Vikes

Thunderbirds

Spartans

Cascades

WolfPack

Heat

Golden Bears/Pandas

Dinos

Pronghorns

Huskies

Cougars

Bobcats

Wesmen

Bisons

Thunderwolves

Lancers

Mustangs

Gryphons

Golden Hawks

Warriors

Marauders

Badgers

Lions

Blues

Rams

Voyageurs

Gaels

Paladins

Gee-Gees

Ravens

Citadins

Redmen/Martlets

Stingers

Rouge et Or

Gaiters

Varsity Reds

Panthers

Axe(wo)men

Tigers

Huskies

X-(Wo)Men

Capers

Sea-Hawks

Football[link]

26 of the 54 member schools participated in the 2011 CIS football season.

The CIS football teams are organized in the following way:

Thunderbirds

Golden Bears

Dinos

Huskies

Rams

Bisons

Lancers

Mustangs

Gryphons

Golden Hawks

Warriors

Marauders

Lions

Blues

Gaels

Gee-Gees

Stingers

Redmen

Carabins

Rouge et Or

Gaiters

Vert et Or

Mounties

Axemen

Huskies

X-Men

CIS football players in the professional leagues[link]

As of 2007, there were a record 120 CIS football players on the rosters of Canadian Football League teams. [4]

As of 2006, the CIS had produced 23 players who have earned a spot on an NFL roster (including three who did not play a regular season game).

Men's Soccer[link]

42 of the 54 member schools participated in the 2011 Men's Soccer season. The CIS has been a stepping stone for some national team players like Pat Onstad.

Women's Soccer[link]

45 of the 54 member schools participated in the 2011 Women's Soccer season. The University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks and Winnipeg Wesmen will begin play in the 2012 season as the 46th and 47th members respectively.^[13][14]

See also[link]

Sport in Canada portal

• List of universities in Canada
• List of colleges in Canada
• Athletics Canada
• Canada Basketball
• College basketball
• Canadian Soccer Association
• CIS men's soccer
• CIS women's soccer
• College soccer
• Football Canada
• CIS Football
• College football
• Hockey Canada
• CIS women's ice hockey
• College hockey
• Royal Canadian Golf Association
• Canadian Colleges Athletic Association
• International University Sports Federation
• Universiade

Notes and references[link]

• Knowles, Steve (2000), "Canadian University Hockey", in Diamond, Dan, Total Hockey (Second ed.), pp. 69–78, ISBN 1-892129-85-X 

External links[link]

• CIS website
• CIS news headlines

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