Madeline Schizas, a Canadian figure skater and McMaster University student, successfully obtained an extension for her sociology assignment by citing her participation in the Winter Olympics. After competing in the women’s team event short program at Milano Cortina 2026, Schizas shared a screenshot of her email to the professor requesting the extension on Instagram. In the email, she explained that she had mistakenly thought the assignment was due on Sunday instead of Friday due to her Olympic commitments.
Known for her deadpan humor, the 22-year-old from Oakville, Ont., humorously remarked on the situation in her social media post. Schizas, with a substantial following on Instagram, mentioned that she updated her followers before competing in the team event free program. Canada is currently in fourth place as the competition progresses.
Schizas expressed surprise at the attention her request received and noted the valuable lesson she learned about the spotlight of the Olympics. She is pursuing a major in Environment and Society and is scheduled to graduate in May.
