Equity-seeking Olympians team up to create better support for competing moms

When two-time Olympic hurdler and mother Nikkita Holder heard that there would be a private children's nursery in the Paris 2024 Olympic village, her eyes welled up.

"Honestly, I'm not even going to lie, it makes me a little emotional," Holder, whose final race was in 2018, told CBC Sports. "To have that would have been tremendously amazing and it's exciting to know that women can now have a dream and still be a mom at the same time." 

Holder gave birth to her son in 2013 and went on to win a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, and later advance to the semifinals of the 100-metre hurdles at Rio 2016. She is quick to note her incredible family support during her athletic career, but she certainly would have benefited from resources within the system as well.

"As a track athlete you have to budget for so much. You have to budget for your living expenses, you've got to budget for your nutrition, for your supplements, for your shoes, all your gear," Holder said. "If we got help with childcare as well, then I think that would alleviate so much stress." 

Holder's experience is not unique. While the opportunity for Olympian parents to access a nursery may indicate progress at the Games, many women athletes continue to feel under supported, under-resourced, and underfunded during their family planning and motherhood years.

Which is why, amidst the countdown to Paris 2024, a group of equity-seeking Olympians are teaming up to create a better Olympic experience for women as they navigate pregnancy, motherhood and women's health.

With the help of the OLY Canada Legacy Grant, Canadian lightweight double sculls rower Jill Moffatt, along with a roster of fellow athletes, has founded MOMentum, an online platform which will