McTAVISH Simon

General
REPRESENTING CANADA AND AUSTRALIA
He represented Australia internationally, including at the world championships in 2017, until mid-2019 when he switched to represent the country of his birth, Canada. "Good to be back home racing for the country where I grew up [Canada]. Never been so proud to make a national team." (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Jan 2020; Instagram profile, 15 May 2019; Mississauga Canoe Club Facebook profile, 15 May 2019)

CANADA'S TOKYO 2020 CAPS EXPLAINED
He explained the meaning behind the Canadian canoe sprint team's caps for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which feature a patch with writing in Japanese language. "Our 2020 [Olympic] mission patches are written in Japanese [and say], 'Canadian men's kayak representative 2020. Faster than anyone'. In addition to the writing, the caps feature the Japanese Flag, the Olympic Wreath, Poseidon holding a paddle being towed by a Manatee "because we train in Florida in the winter", a beaver to represent Canada, and Quebec's official bird, a snow owl "because [Quebec] is our summer training base". (Instagram profile, 01 Jun 2019)

FURTHER EDUCATION
After completing a bachelor's degree in project management at the University of Sydney, he plans to study a second bachelor's degree in architecture. "I think it is important to develop socially and academically as well as athletically. From a more practical perspective, I have always thought it important to set up a career for when my athletic career comes to an inevitable end. A bachelor of project management is a versatile discipline that has taught me about many different aspects of built environments. I enjoy the mix it offers as it has allowed me to experience courses from different faculties within the university including business, engineering and architecture. Interestingly there are many parallels between project management and managing sport, university, work and a personal life. I'm pleased to say that I've recently [2019] been accepted into the bachelor of design in architecture. I discovered an interest in the architectural space through my [project management] degree and wish to continue to build my qualifications while I am paddling so that when I finish, I have a career path I am interested in and qualified to pursue. In my view, university is the best place to be while pursing a world or Olympic title in sport." (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2020; susf.com.au, 06 Feb 2019)