SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.
Cirque du Soleil: Bridging the gap between athletes and artists
Cirque du Soleil is renowned for its breathtaking performances, combining artistry, athleticism, and storytelling to create unparalleled spectacles. But how does this world-class organization find and transform its talent? André Lachance, Senior Director Casting and Artist Contract Management at Cirque du Soleil, shared insights into the fascinating process of talent acquisition and development, where elite…
Introduction and Context The ParkSeek study aimed to identify barriers to youth (aged 13-25) engagement with parks and recreational resources via a novel geographic ecological momentary assessment (GEMA). However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, substantial challenges were encountered in...
Project summary Group-based sport and exercise programs, guided by the social identity approach1, represent a viable strategy to promote physical activity and well-being among university students, particularly during the COVID-19 context. Social identity informed interventions aim to cultivate a sense...
Project summary This exploratory study examined the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the daily lives and wellbeing of Atlantic University Sport (AUS) ice hockey players around the cancellation of competition in the Fall of 2020 and beyond. It was...
This blog recaps the first webinar in the 4‑part mini-series Engaging Girls and Women in Sport. SIRC and Canadian Women & Sport co-hosted the mini-series, which you can access or learn more about by visiting our SIRC Expert Webinars page....
After 2020 surprised us all with a global pandemic, many of us looked to 2021 with hope for a gradual return to our pre-pandemic “normal.” And with the widespread rollout and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, the activities...
Nancy Quinn, Laura Misener, Ayham Yasein and Dennis Osei-Nimo Annor, Western University
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games are in the books, with the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games (Beijing) and Commonwealth Games (Birmingham) just around the corner. Our 128 Canadian Paralympians competed in Tokyo, bringing home 21 medals. Canada’s team joined 4,275 high performance Para sport athletes...
Highlights In summer 2021, the Sport Information Resource Centre launched the Community Activation Grants program to help sport organizations promote Safe Sport and concussion initiatives at the community level. This article spotlights 6 of the 25 successful grant recipients from across Canada. These...
Erin Pearson and Laura Misener, Western University
The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequalities that many people experience, particularly the disparities experienced by persons with disabilities. According to the COVID-19 Disability Survey, over 50% of respondents noted that during the pandemic their needs weren’t being met in a...
Highlights In recent years, national sport organizations have been hard at work on Safe Sport policies and initiatives. They’re designed to ensure the safety and well-being of sport communities, from the grassroots level all the way up to national teams....
The sport sector considers evaluation an essential organizational practice. Through evaluation, sport organizations can gain insights and solicit feedback about their programs. Evaluation can also inform decision-making, guide program improvements, and build stakeholders’ value and advocacy for programming (Holt et...