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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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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…

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Beyond the Comeback: What Media Stories Reveal About Team Canada’s Athlete Moms and How Sport Organizations Can Support Them

August 20, 2025
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Jill Moffatt, Kerry R. McGannon
With the 2026 Winter Olympics less than a year away, athletes are deep in their preparation, setting their sights on representing Team Canada. For veteran athletes like freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe and hockey forward Natalie Spooner, this Olympic cycle looks...

Behind the Whistle: Spotlighting Women Who Call the Game 

July 21, 2025
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Meghan Beland
The Spark  In January 2025, She is Active New Brunswick launched Behind the Whistle, a storytelling series that showcases women officials from across the province. What began as a routine social media post celebrating 3 basketball officials for their recent...

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

May 7, 2025
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Paula Baker
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...

ReThink Sport: Building an inclusive and equitable future for youth sports in Canada

July 15, 2024
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Catherine Sabiston, Sasha Gollish & Vanessa Coulbeck
From coast to coast to coast, what could a reimagined equitable, diverse, and inclusive youth sport system look like, especially for girls? This is the question driving the mission of the ReThink Sport Project. Given what we know; that youth...

Addressing gender inequities in Canadian university coaching

March 8, 2024
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Hayley Baker
Over the last 50 years, significant progress has been made in access and opportunities for girls and women to participate at all levels of sport in Canada. Despite this progress, the number of women in coaching remains alarmingly low (Banwell...

Looking back to go forward: 50 years of Canadian women’s sport

November 27, 2023
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M. Ann Hall
U SPORTS 2020 Swimming Championships at Saanich Commonwealth Place, Victoria, BC, February 2020 (Photo: U SPORTS) Looking back over the last 50 years of women’s sport in Canada, it’s amazing how we have progressed to bring equity, stability, and opportunity,...

Using data to plan and deliver programs with gender equity in mind

March 18, 2022
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Annabel Chan and Marina Khonina, SIRC
This blog post recaps the second webinar in the 4‑part Engaging Girls and Women in Sport mini-series. SIRC and Canadian Women & Sport co-hosted the mini-series, which you can access and learn more about by visiting our SIRC Expert Webinars...

Beyond the medals: The health of retired high performance female athletes

February 16, 2022
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Casey Rosen and Jane Thornton, Western University
Swimmer Summer McIntosh. Fencer Jessica Guo. Artistic swimmer Rosalie Boissonneault. These teenagers were among the youngest Canadian competitors in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Their intensive training will likely continue for many years to come as they search for even...

How biological sex and gender affect concussion risk and management

September 27, 2021
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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...

An Official’s Journey to the FIFA Women’s World Cup

April 1, 2020
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Sydney Millar, SIRC
Officials are considered by some to be the unsung heroes of sport, responsible for upholding the rules and intentions of sport. SIRC sat down with Marie-Soleil Beaudoin – Canadian soccer referee and instructor of physiology and biophysics at Dalhousie University...

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