VICTORIA – Fresh off his Olympic debut in Tokyo as Canada's flag-bearer, University of Victoria Vikes rugby alumnus Nathan Hirayama will deliver the keynote address at the 14th Annual Vikes Championship Breakfast set for September 28.
The former Vikes rugby standout says that without the Breakfast and the community's generosity, he and many of his teammates wouldn't have been able to continue playing and live out their Olympic dreams. This year's Olympic squad will see three of Hirayama's former Vikes teammates take the field in Tokyo.
"I've been to the breakfast before, and it is a fantastic event and a significant fundraiser that plays an important role in the lives of student-athletes. I'm incredibly flattered and honoured to be a part of it this year, said Hirayama.
"The money raised at this event was massive for me and many of my teammates and friends over the years. While most of us worked during the summer, our schedules didn't allow us to work during the season and the money raised at this event enabled us to continue to play and pursue our sport."
The Vikes standout, and Canada's all-time leading scorer made a name for himself early. First selected for the Canadian National Sevens team as an 18-year-old, Hirayama was at the time the youngest player to ever do so. Emerging as a leader early on, he was first named captain of the Canada Sevens in 2010 at the age of 22.
Standing third on the World Series all-time scoring list with 1,859 points, Hirayama is also a member of the Canadian National 15s team and was the youngest player to ever play for Canada, stepping on the field against the New Zealand Maori in 2007. Since then, he has attended two Rugby World Cups (France 2007 and New Zealand 2011), the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India and was a gold medalist at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Hirayama's father, Garry Hirayama, also represented Canada in the 1980s, winning 12 caps as fly-half for the national team, and was also part of Canada's first sevens team to travel to Hong Kong. Together they are the first-ever rugby-playing father-son duo for Canada.
For the 33-year old, it's been a dream come true to see his Olympic dreams realized after a long and arduous road. Team Canada narrowly missed out on qualifying for Rio 2016 but qualified for Tokyo back in July 2019, going undefeated at the Rugby Americas North Sevens tournament in the Cayman Islands. However, that dream came to a screeching halt with the onset of the pandemic and the postponement of the Games.
"We felt like we were in a great place going into 2020 with a really strong group of guys, so it was disheartening at the time. That being said, it gave us time to step away, rest our bodies and come back with even more motivation heading into Tokyo."
Since the inaugural event in 2008, the Vikes Championship Breakfast has raised over $6.7 million towards student-athlete scholarships with over $1.7 million being fully endowed from the proceeds. The support generated by the event helps with both recruitment and retention of athletes, allowing Vikes varsity athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level and excel in their studies.
All proceeds from the breakfast support student-athlete scholarships. Support can be directed to specific varsity programs or to the Vikes General Fund. The University of Victoria generously provides $200,000 in matching funds in support of Vikes student-athletes.
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