Knowledge Nuggets

A holistic approach to athlete development considers the interconnections between different spheres of an athlete’s life, and recognizes their impact on performance. Whether athletes are struggling with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, relocation, injury, or the end of a relationship, coaches and IST members can support them in evaluating the impact across the spheres...

“We saw how important it was for the athletes to compete again and to be under that kind of positive pressure… Getting athletes in front of even virtual judges was really beneficial in terms of their preparation for Tokyo.” In the SIRC blog, Amanda Tambakopoulos, Program Manager for Women’s Artistic Gymnastics at Gymnastics Canada, shares...

Did you know that during training and competition, the “ideal” internal body temperature shifts from ~37°C to ~38.5°C? Research shows slightly increasing body temperature through a passive warm-up can increase muscle power by up to 5%, thus improving performance.

“This is just one huge exercise in risk management… the health risks, financial risk, reputation risk, and compliance risk. It’s sort of risk management on steroids.” In the SIRCuit, Curling Canada CEO Katherine Henderson shares learnings and insight on hosting key national and international events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Less than three months after helping the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory, Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff returned to Canada to assist with a coronavirus outbreak at a long-term care facility in Montreal, Quebec. Laurent shows us how sport can provide athletes with valuable skills that can be taken beyond the field, pitch, and court,...

In a survey of national team athletes led by Game Plan in 2020, 34% of respondents said the postponement of the Tokyo Games changed their retirement plan from sport. Some said they would have to retire earlier than planned, while others chose to push their retirement for another year.

Research with elite women’s wheelchair basketball athletes has shown playing time can negatively impact body temperature regulation, increasing the risk of heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and heat stroke. Coaches are encouraged to monitor the cooling strategies of athletes with high playing time and encourage all athletes to hydrate during time outs, substitutions, intermissions, and half...

Anyone who spends time in the world of sports knows the value of teamwork—but we don’t often think about how different sports might work together towards a common goal. The Nordic Strategy is a joint initiative designed to explore how working together can help all four Canadian Nordic sports—Biathlon, Nordic Skiing, Nordic Combined, and Ski...

“Until we had gold medals awarded on January 5th, I think we always felt there was a little bit of risk that we weren’t going make it through.” Read how Hockey Canada collaborated with federal, provincial, and local health authorities and implemented compliance officers to successfully host the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior...

Athletes often plan to re-engage in educational pursuits the year after the Games, which is often less busy. With the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games, an analysis of comments from 74 national team athletes in a Game Plan survey revealed 39% had to refuse or defer admissions to focus on training.