Trailblazing sports journalist Shireen Ahmed is the Carl Mitchell Community Impact Award recipient for 2026

Left to right: The late Carl Mitchell's family members Thomas Mitchell, Margaret Shaw and Nancy Mitchell presenting the Carl Mitchell Community Impact Award to Shireen Ahmed, with UTAA president Candice Jay. 

As a Muslim girl growing up in Nova Scotia, Shireen Ahmed found that the soccer pitch was a safe space to be herself. “I was a very precocious, curious and chatty child – and very aggressive in terms of goal scoring because I was a forward,” she says. “Those are traits that society told us back then to keep quiet or put on the shelf. But they were necessary traits as an athlete, which allowed me to be authentic.” 

The key lesson she learned is that sports can be a powerful vehicle for defying societal expectations and breaking down barriers. “Being part of a team compensated for perhaps being a little left out in other places, socially. Growing up racialized in Halifax in the 1980s wasn't easy – sports were an outlet for me.” 

One of Canada’s foremost voices in sports journalism

Now, as one of Canada’s foremost voices in sports journalism, Ahmed uses her national platform on CBC Sports and elsewhere to highlight issues around race, gender, religion and power. Stories she has pursued over the years include everything from online hostility toward racialized women footballers to hijab bans in French sports to the decision by the Norwegian women’s beach handball team to defy their sports federation by wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms.  

Outside of journalism, her tireless contributions include volunteering in governance roles for organizations promoting Muslim and Black women in sports, teaching and mentoring students and budding sports journalists, and co-founding the legendary Burn It All Down podcast, which takes an intersectional feminist lens on sports culture. 

In recognition of her outstanding leadership, Ahmed is this year’s recipient of the Carl Mitchell Community Impact Award, presented jointly by the university and the University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA). Named for past UTAA President Carl Mitchell, the award recognizes alumni who advance the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion through extraordinary volunteer contributions to the community. 

Athletics and activism at U of T

As a student at U of T, Ahmed studied women’s studies and political science while immersing herself in campus life – as a student representative, a member of the Muslim Students’ Union and student activist. “U of T is where I really honed and sharpened my skills on how to engage and how to advocate for community and how to be a part of a community,” she says, adding that the university’s profound influence on her makes the award deeply meaningful. “To get this kind of recognition from a place that was hugely important in my life is really overwhelming. I think I cried. I probably cried.” 

Naturally, as a member of the Varsity Blues soccer team, athletics were also central to her university experience – and the backdrop for a pivotal personal moment. “One of the biggest events in my life was choosing to wear a headscarf entering third year, and that stopped my soccer playing at U of T,” says Ahmed. “There were no rules that I couldn't wear hijab, but there were no rules that I could, and soccer is very, very particular about that kind of thing,” she says, adding that she switched to rowing, which had no such restrictions. Notably, Varsity Blues soccer, which must align with provincial and global sports governing bodies, was freed to fully remove restrictions on head coverings in 2014. 

Following university, Ahmed’s commitment to advocating for others was further sharpened in her first career as a frontline social worker, supporting newcomers and survivors of trauma. This work became a transition to sports journalism, as she began using sports as a way to help youth groups and newcomers build confidence and connection – something she felt inspired to begin writing about. “The foundation of what I do is about community. It's about telling stories about people in those communities.” 

Building community through inclusion

University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA) president Candice Jay says Ahmed’s impact reflects the spirit of the Carl Mitchell Award. “Shireen’s work is a powerful example of what it means to build community through inclusion,” Jay says. “She uses her voice not only to challenge barriers, but to create space for others – ensuring that diverse perspectives in sport are seen, heard, and valued.” 

Fittingly, for someone who admits to thriving on chaos, presentation of the Carl Mitchell Award on June 20 came during an already incredibly busy and exciting time in her life – smack dab in the middle of the men’s World Cup group stage and the day before her son’s wedding. For Ahmed, the convergence of so many significant, joyful moments made receiving the award even more thrilling. “I didn't even know what to say. Which is ironic, because my report card when I was a kid was ‘she talks too much’ – and I was literally speechless.” 

Barbara Dick, U of T’s Assistant Vice-President of Alumni Relations, says the university is proud to add Ahmed to the pantheon of Carl Mitchell Award recipients who have forged transformative, positive change in the lives of countless individuals. “Shireen Ahmed embodies the very best of the University of Toronto alumni community. Through her journalism, mentorship and volunteer leadership, she has helped create spaces where more people can see themselves, belong, and thrive. Her commitment to amplifying diverse voices and building more inclusive communities demonstrates how one person's passion and purpose can inspire meaningful change far beyond the boundaries of sport." 

About Carl Mitchell 

Carl Mitchell (BSc 1984 SMC) gave several lifetimes’ worth of contributions to U of T before passing away from cancer at the age of 55. 

His many roles include president and treasurer of the UTAA and sitting on the Group of 175 – Campaign Leadership, the Governing Council Committee for Honorary Degrees and the Department of Computer Science Industrial Advisory Board. 

He began the UTAA’s Community Engagement Initiative to celebrate the service of U of T volunteers. He was himself honoured with an Arbor Award, the university’s highest distinction for volunteers. 

Building on his success in business and as a pioneer in the computer industry, Carl also became a significant donor to U of T by generously funding a computer lab in the Bahen Centre for Information Technology.