Knowledge Nuggets

Alcohol misuse represents an important mental health issue for student-athletes – even moderate consumption can have negatively impact athletic and academic performance. Research has shown an athlete’s perception of their coach’s approval of alcohol use was strongly associated with drinking behaviour.

In partnership with the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association, SIRC will be delivering a free webinar on February 25, 2020 at 12:00PM ET. Click here to register for Concussion Management: Best practices and lessons from the Canadian sport and recreation system.

A study of 117,000 professional tennis matches and 5 million observations in online amateur chess found that even when competitors are evenly matched, players perform worse against an opponent they know has been climbing in rank. Dubbed “status momentum,” a positive trend in an opponent’s ranking can be threatening for athletes, even for seasoned pros...

From player recruitment and retention, to leadership development, to effective coach education, SIRC’s Researcher/Practitioner Match Grant recipients will address a range of issues to help achieve gender equality in the Canadian sport system. Learn more about this initiative and all the sport organization/university matches that were supported. Outcomes and key learnings from all projects will...

Canada’s long-track speed skaters debuted a suit thought to give a competitive advantage during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. While some research has shown up to a 10% reduction in aerodynamic drag with high-tech suits, other novel designs have produced limited effect. See what Canada’s top athletes are wearing at the ISU World Cup Speed...

In the latest SIRCTalks episode, Building Capacity Through Research, Amreen Kadwa discusses how she used research on inclusivity in sport to support the development of Hijabi Ballers – a community-based organization that celebrates Muslim women and girls in sport. Watch it here.

In 2016-2017, 26% of all brain injuries seen in Ontario and Alberta emergency departments were sport-related, and the majority of these (94%) were linked to concussion. Check out this infographic from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Physical literacy has become an important outcome across many educational, sport, and recreation settings in Canada. Research from Brock University finds pedagogical strategies that incorporate a Teaching Games for Understanding approach can support the development of physical literacy among elementary-school-aged youth.

Research from the University of Alberta finds intense cold-weather exercise makes it harder for the lungs to warm and humidify the air, causing airway lining to dry and, in some cases, become irreparably damaged. When temperatures plunge below –15 C, researchers recommend athletes decrease the intensity of outdoor exercise to protect their lungs.

The NFL Orthopaedic Surgery Outcomes Database compares return-to-play rates and performance-based outcomes amongst NFL players who had orthopaedic surgery. Trends show players who undergo surgical procedures for tendon injuries experience a worse career trajectory than players who have surgery to fix fractures and sports hernia.