Participating: Amateur Athletics

Boxing match in Fort Frances

Amateur boxing got its start in Canada during the 1890s. The sport made a name for itself nationally when six Canadian boxers attended the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium and came away with five medals.

The creator of this image, William Hampden Tenner, was a farmer who photographed life in Northern Ontario in the early 20th century.

Picton Collegiate girls’ callisthenics class

Callisthenics arose in the early 19th century as a form of exercise for increasing strength, flexibility, and coordination. It was originally promoted for women, but became popular in school fitness programs and military training. Exercises include squats, lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks, and many other movements that are now common in fitness.

Marsden Kemp, an amateur photographer who lived in Kingston and Picton, created this photograph while travelling Eastern Ontario by bicycle.

Hurdle race competition

Ontarians have been participating in amateur track and field events since before Confederation. Here, an unidentified Penman family member (third from the right) flies over the first hurdle of a senior hurdles race. Ontarians have excelled in hurdle competitions, winning medals in the Olympics and Pan Am Games.

Boys from Moose Factory playing hockey

Whether in arenas, backyard rinks, or frozen ponds, Ontario children love playing hockey. This photograph features boys from Moose Factory, an area originally inhabited by the Moose Cree First Nation. In 1673, The Hudson’s Bay Company established a trading post there, which became Ontario’s oldest English settlement.

Perched on the edge

Many Ontarians can recall taking swimming lessons as children, which perhaps included some nervous moments on the diving board. However, once swimming has been mastered, there’s nothing quite like jumping into a cool pond or lake on a hot summer day.

Throwing rocks in Huntsville

From pond ice to indoor rinks, Ontarians love to hurl those stones and sweep their brooms. This photograph was used by the Ontario Department of Travel and Publicity to market, advertise and promote tourism in Ontario.

Young hockey prospects on Picton Harbour

While a few Canadian cities claim to have invented hockey, the sport evolved in the 19th century from older team games into the beloved pastime it is today.

• Ontario’s Sporting Past
• Participating: Amateur Athletics
• Captivating: Extraordinary Moments
• Sponsoring: The Business of Sport

• Cheering: Fans of Sport
• Uniting: Team Uniforms and Fashions
• Competing: Sports of the Games