OUA unveils sport model updates ahead of 2025-26 season

Burlington Ont. – Following in-depth consultation with Members and approval from the Board of Directors, updates have been made to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) sport model ahead of the 2025-26 season. 

Moving forward, the OUA Sport Model will categorize the 22 conference sport offerings into two areas of delivery and involvement from OUA Central – Core Sport, which is broken down further into League Sport and Open Sport, and Affiliate Sport.  

The Core Sport portfolio, given their ties to the national pathway and corresponding national championship experience, will be managed by OUA Central in partnership with Member institutions. All additional sports will be categorized as Affiliate, to be conducted in partnership with each sport’s respective Provincial Sport Organizations (PSO), with oversight from OUA Central.  

OUA Central will continue to be involved with managing all regular season, postseason, and championship games for League Sport; managing the championships only within the Open Sport category; and managing the phased-in PSO affiliations within Affiliate Sport.  

All League, Open, and Affiliate Sport will have continued oversight from OUA Central to maintain the integrity of each sport at the varsity level and ensure Member goals and needs are being met.  

The conference’s sport model, which serves as the overarching framework on how the OUA delivers sport competitions – including structures, schedules, and overall service provisions – has been consistently reviewed and updated over the years.  

For more information please visit oua.ca/about/sport_model