Athletics Canada to pursue eliminating term ‘midget’ as age category descriptor

TORONTO — Athletics Canada became the latest domestic sport organization to take steps to drop the use of the term ‘midget’ as an age category classification, a move that came days after the Ontario Basketball Association stated its plans to do the same.

“This topic is now on our agenda for our SAGM (semi-annual general meeting) in Vancouver next week,” Athletics Canada spokesman Mathieu Gentes said Friday in an email to The Canadian Press. “We will be following suit to pursue eliminating the term midget as an age category descriptor.”

The recent developments were applauded by Dwarf Athletic Association of Canada director Allan Redford, who said change is overdue.

“Like any of the social challenges that groups like ours have, it’s the right thing to do,” Redford said. “I think it gains awareness, it’s respectful, it provides the proper acceptance of people of short stature, people with dwarfism.”

Several sports across the country — notably hockey, football and lacrosse — use the term prominently as a youth age category. However, the word is considered a derogatory slur.

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“It is very offensive,” Redford said. “It harkens back to the times of the circus with the freak shows. So every time you hear it, you cringe. It’s just not something that we like as a group. We don’t like to be identified in that manner.”

OBA executive director Jason Jansson said the organization’s board supported the change and plans will likely be formalized later this season. The midget category will likely be called U15 (under-15) and major midget would go to U16 (under-16), age terms that are currently in use at the sport’s national and international levels. 

Athletics Canada, the governing body for track and field in Canada, currently uses age designators for some of its categories.

“It’s not a huge shift for us,” Gentes said.

Regina Scott, who has a two-year-old son with dwarfism, reached out to the local youth basketball association in Guelph, Ont., after noticing the term on a banner at a mall. Changes were soon made and the provincial association was quick to get on board too. 

“It’s such a positive change,” Scott said from Guelph. “There is nothing positive about that word.”

Hockey Canada classifies the midget category as players who are under 18 as of Dec. 31 of the current season. Bantam is for athletes under 15, with peewee, atom and novice used as classifications for younger players. 

Depending on the sport, some local, provincial and national organizations use descriptors like minor midget and major midget as well.

“It was often confusing anyway, so why not just use the actual age?” Redford said. “That makes the most sense to me and eliminating the M-word of course is very important to all of the little people organizations … basically to take control over what has become a slur.

“Until as a community we can control that word, we won’t have that ability to get the awareness and acceptance that’s been overdue.” 

When asked if Hockey Canada might be planning to consider a change to its categories, an organization spokesman declined comment.

Messages left with Football Canada and the Canadian Lacrosse Association were not immediately returned.

“It’s a word that’s dehumanizing and belittling,” Scott said. “It’s usually used to mock somebody. It’s never used in a positive way.”

In its mission statement, the DAAC said it is committed to providing athletic competition, guidance, support, and information to people of short stature and to their families.

“We really are asking now for all organizations across Canada to eliminate the M-word,” Redford said. “Replace it with a proper age category. It will be better for everybody.”

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Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press