SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.
For many, sport is synonymous with fun. Its why children sign up for soccer leagues, join hockey teams, and try out for rowing clubs. But what exactly makes sport fun? And how can coaches and program leaders ensure that fun isn’t just an afterthought, but a core component of the sport experience? Dr. Erin Sharpe,…
This blog focuses on “setting direction,” a key aspect of “gold medal governance.” It is part of a series designed to increase the capacity of sport organizations to effectively govern in an increasingly complex world. Read the first blog, providing...
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...
Sophie Brassard, Game Plan Advisor, INS Québec/FAEQ
“Athlete career excellence” is a concept from sport psychology concerned with an athlete’s ability to sustain a healthy, successful, and long-lasting career in sport and life. It means the athlete is striving to achieve meaningful goals in sport and life...
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...
Events of 2020 provided a catalyst for sport administrators and community leaders to more directly consider how to create inclusive sport and physical activity opportunities for underrepresented communities (e.g., ethno-racial minorities, LGBTQ2S communities, persons with disabilities). One community receiving increasing...
Project summary The purpose of this research was to study extra-curricular activity (ECA) involvement in a broad range of Canadian youth, and to examine how this might vary by age, gender and geographical context (e.g. rural vs. urban settings). Of...
Data Privacy Day is an international effort held annually on Jan. 28. The purpose is to create awareness about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information and encourages dialogue for organizations about which best practices should be implemented. The...
Project summary Given the rate of children’s physical inactivity, it is important to identify strategies that assist individuals in self-regulating their physical activity behaviors. Imagery is one such strategy. Children’s use of imagery has been investigated in sport, but not...
Project summary Most children begin their formal involvement in sport around 8-10 years of age with the main reasons for participation being “having fun” and “learning and improving skills”. Yet, many children disengage from sport after only a short time...
Megan Cumming, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES)
Anti-doping is often thought to be exclusive to high-performance sport. Athletes are whisked away from the public eye after winning events to have urine and blood collected. It’s true that testing athletes at competitions is an important element of a...
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