SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.
Concussions in Sport: What Parents Need to Know About the Youngest Athletes
Each year in Canada, more than 200,000 athletes experience a concussion. The numbers are striking, and so is the fact that until recently, the youngest athletes were almost absent from research and public conversation about these injuries. Dr. Miriam Beauchamp is a professor at the University of Montreal, a researcher at Sainte-Justine Hospital, and Canada…
For athletes, sport is about pushing limits of skill, strength, and endurance. But what happens when the greatest challenge isn’t physical at all? For many, especially young athletes, the most persistent struggle exists in their own minds: body image. Dr....
Sports are often celebrated for their physical benefits, but they also play a crucial role in mental health. Participation in sports can improve mood, stress relief, and foster a sense of belonging (Bruner et al., 2018; Panza et al., 2020)....
A leading sport administrator, with over 3 decades of experience working with some of the biggest sport bodies in the country, says the kind of abuse faced by referees at all levels of sport in Canada has reached a “crisis”...
This article is part of a series in collaboration with the Centre for Healthy Youth Development through Sport (CHYDS) at Brock University and was presented at the CHYDS’ hosted Youth Sport Summit in April 2024. Coaching is the backbone of sport,...
For men and boys, caring about sport typically conjures images of passionate competition and fighting for the win. This understanding of care leaves little room for self-care, health and safety, and emotional vulnerability — topics that are fraught with risks for boys...
*Note that the Indigenous Engagement Program was previously called the Front Runner Project, but we are no longer using the latter name. Introduction and Context Equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts are becoming commonplace among sport organizations. It is not uncommon,...
Project Summary This study examines the prevalence, causes, and responses to parental violence, aggression, and abuse in minor hockey in Canada. It draws on 122 semi-structured, qualitative interviews with minor hockey stakeholders across Canada, and the textual analysis of media...
“City of Ottawa, recreational outdoor programs & leagues are cancelled today, June 7 due to poor air quality in the Ottawa region.” Canada is in the midst of a record-breaking year for wildfires, which directly impacts air quality. Accordingly, multiple...
Highlights The calls for culture change across sports in Canada are persistent and louder than ever. Through our program of systematic research, we have listened to and shared high performance athletes’ perspectives about what appear to be accepted (or at...
Highlights: Introduction People involved in sport tend to know someone who has had a concussion. Concussions are brain injuries that happen after direct hits to or transmitted indirectly to the head. Concussions lead to many different symptoms reported by the...
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