Articles

SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.

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Beyond the Stats: Understanding Sleeper Athletes with Dr. Joe Baker

In a sports culture obsessed with early success, Canada may be missing out on some of the best athletes, sleepers, those who develop later, defying the traditional timelines of talent. Dr. Joe Baker, a leading expert on talent development and professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto, says…

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Does Culture Really Count in Sport?

December 4, 2024
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Jennifer Walinga
For the past several years, the word culture has become a familiar buzzword across Canadian sport. Headlines about “Hockey Canada’s toxic culture”, a “culture crisis at Gymnastics Canada”, and “the culture of abuse and discrimination” in several national sport organizations...

Power Balance: The black box of the Canadian sport system

April 24, 2024
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Jennifer Walinga
Within the Canadian sport system lies a black box of power imbalance, a black box the Future of Sport in Canada Commission will need the key to address. Our research offers insights into:   cost benefits and savings to a power...

Re-imagining sport through the power of strategic partnerships

December 6, 2023
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Eva Havaris
Tennis is more than a sport; it’s a gateway to empowerment and inclusivity. Its appeal lies in the rhythm of the game, the strategy, and the ability to bond communities through a shared passion. However, accessing tennis hasn’t always been...

Working together to improve evaluation in the sport sector: Learnings from a research partnership

August 21, 2023
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Brynna Kerr and Veronica Allan
Evaluating programs is crucial for sport organizations. For example, evaluation can be used to demonstrate the impact of programs to funding agencies (like Sport Canada) or inform changes in programming to better serve sport participants. However, many sport organizations lack...

Safe sport jobs increase as Canadian sport sector responds to community

June 7, 2023
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SIRC
Safe sport and safeguarding in sport have become top priorities for the Canadian sport sector. Prevalence studies have revealed that athletes across different levels of sport frequently experience maltreatment (Alexander et coll., 2011; Vertommen et coll., 2016; US Center for...

(Re)building cultural integrity in sport: The mechanics, tools and blueprint for change

May 31, 2023
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Jennifer Walinga
Sport is the most watched, celebrated, supported, and engaging social endeavour in the world (Hulteen et coll., 2017). Sport is inherently emotionally and narratively captivating, embodying and upholding principles of positive and sustainable human, social, and environmental development. But the...

All that glitters is not gold: The rising threat of competition manipulation

May 24, 2023
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Megan Cumming
You’d be hard pressed to visit a large Canadian city these days and not see a billboard for sports gambling. Maybe you’ve noticed a similar trend while watching TV, of athletes and celebrities telling us not only which sports books...

Canadian high performance athletes’ use of retirement resources

May 10, 2023
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Iman Hassan, Cassandra M. Seguin and Diane M. Culver
Earning a roster position as a nationally carded athlete is no easy task (“carding” refers to financial assistance from Sport Canada’s Athlete Assistance Program). Athletes spend years working on their craft to represent Canada on the international stage. The length...

Safe, quality and values-based: 3 approaches to optimize sport experience

April 24, 2023
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Jennifer Coletti and Veronica Allan, SIRC
Highlights  There are several evidence-informed approaches to sport delivery that researchers and sport organizations encourage, and that you can engage with, to promote positive experiences and combat harmful cultures in sport and society  Quality sport, values-based sport and safe sport...

A culture change is coming in youth sport: How sport organizations can incorporate Sport for Development strategies

April 24, 2023
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Bryan Heal, Marika Warner, Luciano Lombardi
Highlights: This article draws on recent insights from the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Foundation’s Change the Culture, Change the Game report, offering practical recommendations for sport organizations and administrations looking to advance a more positive culture for youth in...
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