‘These are kids’: Quebec peewee tournament urges spectators not to boo U.S. anthem
City officials and organizers of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament are asking the public not to boo during the American national anthem at upcoming games.
The tournament, hosting thousands of players aged 11 and 12, is in its 65th edition and will run from Feb. 12 to 23 in Quebec City.
The organizers’ request comes after boos echoed through multiple Canadian arenas over the past week as spectators voiced their displeasure at American economic policies.
“These are kids with no ties to politics,” says deputy director of the peewee tournament Julie Hamel.
Welcoming about 40 teams from the U.S., she says participating in this tournament is often a dream for young players.
“We don’t want for these young people to get onto the ice during the opening ceremony and for people to start booing during their national anthem,” says Hamel.
“It’s kind of like breaking their dreams. We don’t want them to go home with this memory.”
During the opening ceremony on Feb. 15, the announcer will issue a special statement in the Videotron Centre, something Hamel says they “normally don’t have to do.”
Patrick Dom, general manager of the peewee hockey tournament, wanted to be proactive after watching the booing at the Toronto Raptors game on Sunday.
“It’s not normal, but I could understand why people react like this,” says Dom.
“People right now are very emotional when you’re talking about the U.S. and Canada and all these political problems.”
While he says professional 20-year-olds can handle the situation, it’s not something 12-year-olds should be mixed up in.
Both Quebec City’s mayor Bruno Marchand and the opposition at city hall are asking attendees to show respect.
“We can understand why people would want to send a message… However, Donald Trump is not the Americans, and the Americans are not Donald Trump. I don’t think it sends the right message, added to the layer that it’s children [playing] as well,” says Marchand.
Opposition leader Claude Villeneuve hopes Quebec City will give them a warm welcome and that people will be “respectful of all the players, of all origins, during this tournament.”