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…
It’s a potent mix: dangerous flips and twists performed by young, boundary-pushing athletes who revel in the sport’s free-spirited culture. More than most sports, concussions are a day-to-day, moment-to-moment risk for the freestyle skiing community. The five demanding disciplines –...
Tennis Canada’s mission is to lead the growth of the sport in the country. That mission can only be accomplished with more individuals playing more tennis more frequently. However, to increase participation rates, one important barrier needs to be addressed...
High-level athletes compete to win. Sometimes, however, they make rash decisions in the heat of the moment that can have serious, long-term consequences. Take figure skating, for example. There have been instances in the past where athletes and coaches were...
The signs are out there. The culture is shifting. Approximately twenty years after introducing its first concussion prevention and awareness program, Hockey Canada says it’s a very different sport landscape now. Players, parents and coaches are becoming far more knowledgeable...
Parents who dream of their children becoming professional athletes, and coaches who believe that single-minded dedication is the only way to reach the top of their sport, have contributed to an increase in early sport specialization. However, there are many...
Laura Chittle, Jess C. Dixon, Sean Horton, and Joe Baker
On October 17, 2018, Relative Age Effects: An International Conference was hosted at York University where leading international scholars gathered to discuss the implications of athletes’ dates of birth on sport, health, and education. This article highlights the history of...
Allegations emerging in media reports from Toronto’s St. Michael’s College in the fall of 2018 have made hazing top of mind for athletic staff at Canada’s secondary and post-secondary education institutions. Unfortunately, it is not an isolated event. Reports of...
Jane Arkell, Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability
December 3, 2018 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This year’s theme is “Empowering People with Disabilities and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality”. Here in Canada, we have reason to celebrate. The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and...
When kids specialize early in one sport or activity, it doesn’t guarantee they will be successful athletes in the long term (Malina 2010). To the contrary, research has revealed that they tend to get injured more frequently, burnout, and quit...
Despite some important ethical and developmental concerns, early identification and selection is the modus operandi of high performance sport. Most sport systems internationally have limited resources for high performance athlete development and, as a result, have to make predictions about...
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