How sport organizations and events are combating climate change
Photo credit: Denise MaxwellOrganizers of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games plant trees for a new Commonwealth Games Forest that will serve as one of the Games’ legacies. Highlights At a United Nations Conference on the role of sport in combating climate change in April 2022, conference participants noted that sport is both a casualty of and…
Current perspectives on multi-sport participation
Highlights If lifelong and healthy engagement in sport is the goal, childhood and youth participation in a variety of activities, including unstructured play, make more sense than early specialization Research shows that early specialization in sport correlates with increased likelihood of injury, burnout, and dropout Athlete development includes intersecting social, cultural, and genetic factors, thus…
“I feel (un)safe when…”: What athletes have to say about high performance culture
Highlights In this article, researchers present their findings about Canadian high performance athletes’ perspectives on safe and unsafe sport environments, as well as recommendations for changes Athletes identified coach behaviour, teammate or fellow athlete behaviour, lack of resources and an inattentive sport system as key factors contributing to unsafe sporting environments Implementing initiatives to target…
Enhancing sport and physical activity participation for Canadians with disabilities
Highlights When Jenny Davey first started working at the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) in 2014, she had no idea how much a fledgling research partnership would shape the work she does in the Paralympic sport system 8 years later. “I never would have thought, ‘well, 8 years from now, I’m going to be able to…
Indigenous ways of knowing and doing connected to physical literacy, diversity and collaboration in sport
Highlights “Teaching was something that I always knew that I could do. From an early age, I was captain of teams and things like that, so I was thrust into leadership roles,” says Greg Henhawk. Henhawk is a Mohawk of the Bear Clan, from Six Nations of Grand River First Nation, in Southern Ontario. He’s…
The Canadian sport and physical activity community identifies topics for researchers to prioritize
Highlights Until recently, a typical research process would include generating ideas or research questions, gathering and analyzing data to test hypotheses, publishing the results in scientific journals and anticipating that the findings would be adopted or applied in the “real world.” Then, this cycle would repeat, replacing old questions with new lines of inquiry. True, this outdated…
Data for change: Embracing demographics to advance equity in sport
Highlights The “who” is as important as the “what” when sport organizations are planning for data, analytics and evidence-based change related to equity, diversity and inclusion. When it comes to race and intersectionality, the power of data practices is its ability to help an organization better understand the realities and experiences of those too often…
Mentoring Black women coaches: Developing confidence through relationships and learning
Photo credit: Conestoga College Condors Athletics Highlights Some coaches are the “only” in their organization: the only woman, only racialized person or only racialized woman. Being the “only” relates to feelings of otherness and isolation, threatening coaches’ confidence. Social support and environmental comfort can build coach confidence. Racism and sexism in sport in Canada can…
Shaping inclusive sport policy and programs
Highlights Over the past few years, the racism and discrimination brought to light throughout society and within the sport sector have forced a necessary reflection on policies and practices. There’s a renewed urgency for sport stakeholders to adopt new policies and programs to bring about cultural change that can ensure the future of sport includes…
Why youth sport isn’t just for kids: it benefits mom too!
Highlights With approximately 75% of Canadian youth involved in organized youth sport, it’s uniquely positioned to promote mothers’ mental health and wellbeing. Youth sport offers opportunities for moms to: gain meaning through coaching and leadership experience pride and joy from observing their child compete interact with other adults and expand their social networks strengthen their family…