The Ubyssey

The Russian freshman Ilona Markova was one of the most important players to lead UBC Women’s Hockey to the Canada West Championship victory. Getting pucks in deep, celebrating a “celly,” burning the barn. Whenever people think about foreign athletes playing hockey in North America, they usually wonder how a player will fit within a new league or a new system. But seldom do they think about the seemingly small but important aspect of the game — learning the language of the game itself.

The ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world right now. While we don’t have the overall numbers yet since the tournament is ongoing, it’s already breaking viewership records in multiple countries, and if the last World Cup is any indication, it’ll end up reaching more than half of the world’s population. From the perspective of someone in sports media, it’s all-encompassing.

This article is a commentary, which is driven by an author’s perspective on the sport they cover as a beat reporter. In a commentary, writers are expected to take a position on an event or topic relevant to the sport they cover, and suggest a course of action. Caleb Peterson writes commentary articles about university sport administration from his position overseeing The Ubyssey’s coverage of varsity sports on campus as Sports Editor. Why do we watch sports?

U Sports coaching is usually a very stable job. For the UBC women’s basketball team, however, turnover has become the norm. With four different coaches in six seasons, the last half-decade has been defined by instability. This high turnover created a unique college basketball experience for the team’s longer-tenured players, including veterans Sara Toneguzzi and Cerys Merton.

Outside BC Place, Canada's World Cup matches have transformed Vancouver. Hours before kickoff, SkyTrain stations fill with supporters draped in red, blue, green — every colour possible. Downtown bars are at capacity, with some fully booked until the end of the tournament. Chants spill onto Granville Street as fans from around the world, dressed in jerseys representing dozens of countries, gather to celebrate the world's biggest sporting event.

In their Round of 16 matchup against Morocco, Canada came out ready for a fight. They knew just how tough their opponent could be, facing the now sixth-ranked Morocco in the group stage during the 2022 World Cup, falling to them 2–1. But things have changed. Canada has changed. Throughout this World Cup, no longer has Canada looked like the team who had only ever qualified for two World Cups and gone 0–3 in the group stage of both.

The final World Cup match to be played in Canada refused to produce a winner for 120 minutes. In the end, it took a penalty shootout — and Swiss composure — to separate two sides who had spent two hours refusing to give each other an inch. On Tuesday afternoon at BC Place, Switzerland defeated Colombia 4–3 on penalties after a goalless draw to book its place in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.

It's May 8, 2026, and Dr. Elizabeth ‘Biz’ Nijdam sits in her ninth-floor office in Buchanan Tower. The assistant professor is surrounded by colourful books and board games she uses as materials for her courses in the department of Central, Eastern and Northern European studies. A recurrent online Faculty of Arts meeting is playing in the background, and is discussing AI and teaching.

Switzerland had waited nearly nine decades for another FIFA World Cup knockout victory, and they weren't about to let the opportunity slip away. On Thursday night at BC Place, Algeria controlled the ball for long stretches, completed more passes and often looked like the more polished team. Switzerland simply proved far more ruthless.

Mount Pleasant’s City Centre Motor Hotel, now the City Centre Artist Lodge, housed the One More Life Gallery and the fifth annual STICKY show this past weekend. The space was small, and the close-set walls were populated with sticky notes in grid-like patterns, each with unique illustrations. This was the second weekend of STICKY, where artists created original works on the 3” x 3” canvases of sticky notes. What sounds like a limitation appeared to bring out even more creativity.