Knowledge Nuggets

A review of the evidence shows unstructured play improves physical health and gross motor skills, fun and creativity, social health and team work, resilience and risk management skills, mental and emotional health, and learning and attention at school. Learn more in this infographic.

Research from the University of Manitoba revealed locker rooms, unfamiliar environments, and unknown sports officials can create unsafe spaces for trans athletes. The creation and enforcement of comprehensive trans inclusion policies, education about the participation of trans athletes, and efforts to eliminate transphobia, are all necessary to create a safe and inclusive sport system for...

Strategies to help athletes develop sport-specific physical skills can also be used to explicitly teach life skills through sport. A deliberate approach includes focusing on one life skill at a time, drawing connections, and using teachable moments. Learn more in the SIRC blog.

Most university and college athletic departments have policies that directly prohibit hazing practices. However, research revealed that hazing-related policy was often buried in broader codes of conduct or addressed in harassment and abuse policies, or that policies were poorly implemented and enforced. Creating hazing-specific policy can help organizations address and prevent hazing. Learn more in...

In the world of sport we often praise a tough-skinned approach to any challenge. But what effect does this have in the workplace? In today’s SIRC blog, Olympian-turned-communications coach Claire Carver-Dias wonders, “Is it possible that sport’s aggressive, win-at-all-costs mentality has squeezed out space for peaceful conflict resolution between sport colleagues?” and provides tips to...

Interventions such as age-ordered shirt numbering and corrective adjustments that account for birthday in timed events such as sprinting, may be effective at mitigating relative age effects (RAEs). Learn more about current research and new innovations to address RAEs in the SIRCuit.

In January 2019, the International Paralympic Committee announced the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games medal programme, which features an equal number of medal events for female and male athletes. This could be the first Paralympic Winter Games to have gender parity in regards to medal events.

A video from the Curling Canada Foundation brings values-based sport to life, promoting respect, togetherness, inclusion and fair play. February 23, 2019 is Curling Day in Canada, a Curling Canada initiative designed to celebrate the great sport of curling by showcasing the game, the incredible people and our curling rinks that are key parts of...

This week a recommendation report from the Federal-Provincial/Territorial (F-P/T) Sport Committee’s Work Group on Women and Girls in Sport was released, aimed at increasing the participation and leadership of women and girls in all aspects of sport. The report outlines an ultimate vision for women and girls in sport, details strategic outcomes that must be...

This week, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear a scheduled five-day appeal in the case of two-time Olympic 800m champion Castor Semenya. Semenya is appealing a ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that will impose limits on testosterone levels for female athletes with differences of sexual development. The case...