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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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Why kids quit sports and what keeps them playing 

If you’ve ever watched a 9-year-old happily chase a soccer ball, only to see that same kid quit sports entirely by the time they reach adolescence? If so, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, this reflects a common trend in Canada, and it’s one that researcher and epidemiologist Dr. Mathieu Bélanger has been trying to unpack for…

Athlete Development
Children and Youth
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Showing 1-10 of 17 Results
Children and Youth
Girls and Women
Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health
Safe Sport Environments
Training Factors

The Unspoken Battle: How Body Image Shapes Sport Performance
February 19, 2025
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Paula Baker
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....
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Abuse-Free Sport
Coaching
Mental Health
Safe Sport
Safe Sport Environments
Sport Participation

Creating safe spaces in recreational sport: A mental health perspective
October 21, 2024
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Jordan Sutcliffe
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)....
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Mental Health
Officials and Referees
Safe Sport Environments

NoRefNoGame: The mental health costs of referee abuse in sports
October 21, 2024
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Teddy Katz
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”...
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Children and Youth
Coaching
Concussion
Safe Sport Environments

The state of coaching sport: Landmark report reveals new insights and data
July 15, 2024
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Eric McLoughlin
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,...
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Mental Health
Safe Sport
Safe Sport Environments

Suffering in silence: Men’s and boys’ mental health are still overlooked in sport
April 17, 2024
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Michael Kehler and Gabriel Knott-Fayle
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...
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Indigenous
Safe Sport Environments
Sport Participation Research Initiative

A better way to do sport? Exploring the Indigenous Engagement Program’s* impact on cultural awareness and safety, Indigenous cultural inclusion, and reciprocity among U SPORTS teams 
February 12, 2024
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Nickolas Kosmenko
*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,...
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Abuse-Free Sport
Community Sport
Governance
Maltreatment
Officials and Referees
Safe Sport
Safe Sport Environments
Sport Participation Research Initiative

Rink Rage: Spectator Violence in Minor Hockey in Canada
October 24, 2023
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Curtis Fogel
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...
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Physical Health
Safe Sport
Safe Sport Environments

Saving sport collectively from poor air quality: Lessons learned from South Korea
August 30, 2023
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Eun Jung
“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...
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Abuse-Free Sport
Capacity Building
Coaching
High Performance
Maltreatment
Safe Sport
Safe Sport Environments
Sport Integrity
Team Culture

The challenges of shifting to a safer sport culture: High performance coach and administrator perspectives
August 21, 2023
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Eric MacIntosh, Shannon Kerwin and Alison Doherty
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...
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Concussion
Research to Practice
Safe Sport Environments

Best practices in Concussion in Sport: Updates from the Amsterdam International Consensus Statement
August 21, 2023
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Kathryn Schneider
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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