defending the league structure in an earlier statement

TORONTO - Olympic gymnast Kris Burley remained in the closet throughout his career.The international sporting environment was too hostile a place for a gay athlete.From my perspective, to be the best athlete that you can be, and to reach your objectives, you have to be able to be yourself, Burley said. And my personal experience is . . . it wasnt a comfortable and open environment for me. And it was really challenging. And I know thats shared by a lot of athletes that have similar stories.When Toronto hosts the Pan American Games next summer in Toronto, Burley said it will mark the first time the organizing committee has worked in partnership with the local gay community.That sends a real message I think, a real leadership message to set a higher standard for inclusion, Burley said.The Truro, N.S., native was the emcee for Fridays unveiling of PrideHouse Torontos plans for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.They include a celebration zone in the citys Church-Wellesley Village, with family activities such as pick-up sports games.The 519 Church Street Community Centre will be turned into a Pan Am pavilion, with a safe space for people to watch the Games as well as celebrate athletes and inclusion in sports, said PrideHouse spokesperson Ryan Tollofson.There will be a PrideHouse presence at other Games sites such as Nathan Phillips Square and the CNE grounds, with 16 ambassadors from across Ontario, who have been trained to be able to address questions about the importance of inclusion in sport.There has never been a PrideHouse at a Pan Am Games, Tollofson said. Eleven Pan American countries still criminalize LGBTQ activity, PrideHouse Toronto said.We want to set an example for what inclusion in sport can be, Tollofson said. Were very fortunate in Canada to have a country where we have a lot of rights and protections as gay folks, as LGBTQ people, and so we want to be able to demonstrate that to the world. The main goal of PrideHouse is to make the Pan Am Games the most inclusive multi-sport Games in history.Burley competed for Canada at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and then the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, retiring that same year.The former gymnast said that while Canada is an international leader in LGBTQ rights, sports still remains behind other areas of society in terms of inclusion.You can see that from all the media that comes from every athlete that comes out, beginning with (NBA player) Jason Collins right through to Michael Sam (the first publicly gay athlete to be drafted into the NFL) and some of the other athletes, Burley said.Torontos PrideHouse for the Pan Am Games, he said, isnt about a bricks-and-mortar building where people say OK, thats where the gays are going to participate in the Games.Its also about including Toronto communities, as well as encouraging the LGBTQ community to participate fully in the Games.Were not quite there yet in sport, I think were a little bit behind, Burley said. But this is a good step in the right direction, and it sets a good precedent and Im hoping that future organizing committees with all adopt the same thing, and it will just be standard that the LGBTQ component and diversity in general gets incorporated as part of every Games going forward.The Pan Am Games are July 10-26, while the Parapan Am Games are Aug. 7-15. Sneakers Adidas Nmd Soldes . Tristan Jackson returned a missed field goal 129 yards early in the fourth quarter as the Roughriders beat the B.C. Yeezy Boost 350 Contrefaçon . -- One shot came out of bottom of a cactus, the other from the base of a desert bush with rocks scattered around it. http://www.basketnmdpascher.fr/pas-cher-basket-nmd-r2.html . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Adidas Nmd Cs1 Noir Pas Cher . And he said Sunday that players believe nobody in Sterlings family should be able to own the Los Angeles Clippers if hes gone. Adidas Human Race Shop . Rooneys latest piece of football genius lost in the furore which now stalks David Moyes, and the man who gave the Manchester United striker his start as a 16-year old at Goodison Park back in 2002.The four Western Hockey League teams based in Washington state and the league itself have been advised by the states department of labour and industries that an investigative team will expand a probe of major junior hockey to see whether teams have violated child labour laws. TSN has learned the teams and the WHL were told this week that the states attorney general has recommended a year-long investigation continue. Earlier this fall, Matt Erlich, a spokesman for the Washington Department of Labour and Industries, said his department had asked the attorney general for advice about whether to continue the investigation. In 2013, the department received a complaint about how much money the players were paid in relation to the time they worked. The allegation claimed players receive less than the states minimum wage. Four Washington WHL teams are being investigated: Seattle, Everett, Tri-Cities, and Spokane. Erlich said the complaint came from within the state. Now that the attorney general has recommended widening the probe, at least three investigators have been assigned to the case. They will conduct in-person interviews with WHL players and team staff and ask for written documentation in the coming months to see if there has been a violation of the industrial welfare act, Erlich told TSN. Most players in the WHL are teenagers and stay with host families during the season. The teams provide the room and board and a promise of university scholarships after their playing careers, so long as they dont go on to loong careers in pro hockey.dddddddddddd According to a recent lawsuit filed against the WHL and its parent Canadian Hockey League, the for-profit league has paid some players as little as $50 a week. Unifor, a union that wants to organize junior players, says players work about 1,000 hours during the course of the season. In Washington state, where the minimum wage is $9.32 an hour, that would mean each player should receive at least $9,320. WHL Commissioner Ron Robinson defending the league structure in an earlier statement. The Western Hockey League (WHL) Member Clubs in Washington are aware that the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has been taking a look at junior hockey with regard to the status of our amateur players. Our WHL Clubs in Washington have responded to the government, providing requested information and explaining that our players are student athletes playing in a developmental hockey league, and participating in and contributing to their sport the same way as other amateur athletes. We are advised by the Department that..no decision has been reached in the matter. Amateur hockey players have competed within the WHL in the State of Washington since 1977. The WHL certainly recognizes that undoubtedly any changes to the status of junior hockey players could impact the status of other amateur athletes in the state as well. Erlich said his department could ultimately impose civil and criminal penalties. TSN couldnt immediately reach the CHL and WHL for comment. ' ' '