The association that governs lacrosse in Canada has gotten rid of “midget” as a division name in its box lacrosse and men’s field lacrosse leagues.
In a news release on Wednesday, the Canadian Lacrosse Association said the were nixing the current age division names – including “midget” – and replacing them with alpha-numeric ones.
In box lacrosse, the division formerly called midget will now be 16U, and other age ranges will follow the same naming style. The decision to change box lacrosse names was made at the association’s annual meeting in November.
The association said it plans to implement the new division names for the 2020 box lacrosse season. The names for men’s field lacrosse were updated at the start of the 2019 season following a decision made by the association in May.
The decision announced Tuesday echoes one made by Hockey Canada last month, where it also changed division names like “midget” to alpha-numeric ones.
The organization representing little people in Canada said it was “extremely pleased” with the decision.
Little People of Canada president Allan Redford called the decision a “win-win-win.
A win for the sport, the fans, and all Canadians. The ease with which this was embraced and adopted across all Canadian sporting organizations is a testament to Canada’s core desire for inclusion, dignity, and respect,” Redford said.
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