Search

Articles

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

Pitch an Idea
Featured Article

The bounce-back illusion: Why real postpartum bodies deserve the spotlight

Let’s begin with a familiar image. A woman, newly postpartum, stands in her living room. Her baby is nestled in a sling across her chest, and she’s attempting something between a squat and a stretch while simultaneously rescuing a plush giraffe from under the couch. She is not wearing Lululemon. She has not “bounced back.”…

Mothers
Women and Girls
Read Article

Search Articles

Search
Showing 1-10 of 69 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
|
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....
Read More
Gender Equity
Girls and Women
High Performance
Mothers
Training Factors

Fast as a mother: Elite runners’ training during pregnancy and postpartum 
November 20, 2024
|
Francine Darroch and Sydney Smith
Keeping active during pregnancy and postpartum is so important for a whole host of reasons and, fortunately, there’s no shortage of advice out there on how to do so. Generally speaking, for those without any health issues during pregnancy, most...
Read More
Abuse-Free Sport
Concussion
Equipment
Physical Health
Training Factors

How biological sex and gender affect concussion risk and management
September 27, 2021
|
Brynna Kerr and Reema Shafi, University of Toronto
Highlights Concussion recovery depends on many factors, including biological factors (for example, anatomy) and gender-based factors (for example, societal norms in sport). Research shows that female athletes have a higher risk of concussion than male athletes, male and female athletes...
Read More
Sport Participation Research Initiative
Training Factors

Goal conflict as a barrier to regular physical activity
February 15, 2021
|
Daniel Bailis
Project summary Many people who adopt the goal of improving physical activity do not succeed. The aim of this research was to examine goal conflict as a uniquely contributing factor to the low rate of success. Our experiments showed that...
Read More
Coaching
Sport for Social Development
Sport Participation Research Initiative
Training Factors

Examining the use of socialization tactics in team sports
February 8, 2021
|
Alex Benson
Project summary Sport team membership provides people with opportunities to work together toward a common goal and build supportive social relationships. Quite simply, being a member of a sport team is associated with a host of psychosocial benefits. However, joining...
Read More
Athlete Development
Coaching
Technology
Training Factors

Tradition or Tech? Either Way, Keep It Representative
September 23, 2020
|
Matt McCue & Nick Wattie, Ontario Tech University
Some coaches rely on de facto drills that seem to be an essential part of their sport as a foundation for their practices; others turn to the latest gadgets and technology to drive their practice plans. Before integrating tradition or...
Read More
Athlete Development
High Performance
Nutrition and Hydration
Training Factors
Weather

Cooling Strategies to Improve Performance in the Heat
July 22, 2020
|
Erica Gavel, Paralympian
Whether you are a high performance athlete training for the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Tokyo, or a weekend warrior working on a personal best, learning to manage heat stress should be a priority. Heat stress and fatigue can...
Read More
Athlete Development
Coaching
Training Factors

Coaching Strategies to Maximize Long-Term Learning and Performance for Athletes
June 3, 2020
|
Leanne Elliott & Nick Wattie
At a time when athletes and coaches have been inundated with pseudoscientific ideas about the importance of accumulating 10,000 hours of practice, the importance of practice quality often does not receive the attention it should. Contrary to popular belief, there...
Read More
Long-Term Development
Sport Participation Research Initiative
Training Factors

Infrastructure & expertise: A model to investigate effective training through long-term athlete development
March 30, 2020
|
Kelly Lockwood
Project Summary A Hockey Intervention Program (HIP) was established as an innovative vehicle to evaluate the infrastructure-athlete relationship for training athletes in the sport of ice hockey. This research examined both system level and athlete level factors that influence stakeholders’...
Read More
Coaching
Concussion
Data and Analytics
Equipment
Program Design and Evaluation
Training Factors

How data informs Volleyball Canada’s concussion strategy
December 11, 2019
|
Peter Morrow, SIRC
It might be surprising to hear concussions are a serious risk in the sport of volleyball. But data collection from Volleyball Canada—dating back to 2016—has revealed exactly that. “Our research has shown that about 1 in 10 youth athletes in...
Read More

Help us, help you by completing SIRC’s new annual survey!

As Canada’s national Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC), we’re here to support those involved in sport at all levels in Canada with the latest insights and resources. We want to know what you find most valuable about SIRC in our new survey!

Complete the survey now!

Through your answers, we hope to learn the best ways to support you by providing the latest insights and resources that have the most impact.

Sign up to Our Newsletter

News travels fast. Stay connected to sport and physical activity-related knowledge, news, jobs and resources through SIRC’s daily newsletter — The Canadian Sport Daily — delivered straight to your inbox.

"*" indicates required fields

Groups*
Skip to content