Knowledge Nuggets

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as many as 35% of elite athletes experience mental health symptoms and disorders. But despite challenges like stigma surrounding mental health, conversations are becoming more normalized in high performance sport. The IOC has created a mental health recognition toolkit to help those in sport recognize and address mental...

“Just having the ponytail come out of your helmet, the players, the people watching, people are going to notice and keep an eye on you to see if you’re holding your own, ‘Can the girl keep up, or does she fit the stereotype of not being as good as the boys?’”. Learn more about the...

Athletes who train for extensive periods of time outdoors have an increased risk of exposure to the sun’s UV rays, and thus an increased risk of skin cancer. Research shows that athletes who participate in water-based sports, such as open-water swimming, surfing, or sailing, face an even further risk due to the reflective qualities of...

Efforts to consciously improve inclusivity in sport communications can help reduce how often microaggressions, prejudices and biases are introduced or reinforced. Some strategies to improve the inclusivity of your communications include: providing communications in multiple formats, creating a list of inclusive terms to replace outdated language, using person-first language and choosing visuals that reflect the...

Both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) have been shown to improve performance, but through different body adaptations. HIIT improves the heart’s ability to pump blood to exercising muscles, while SIT causes greater changes in how the muscles absorb and use oxygen.

Many women avoid gyms and pools because they feel intimidated, judged, or uncomfortable in their swimwear. A report from Sport England presents women’s suggestions for making more inclusive and judgement-free exercise spaces. Recommendations include reducing the number of full-length mirrors in gyms, having codes of conduct in weight rooms and offering more women’s only spaces...

Coaches’ understandings of disability are crucial, not only to athlete development, but also to athletes’ experiences of inclusion and community. When athletes perceive coaches to be unaccommodating or uninformed, they may feel excluded. Leadership programs like the Steadward Centre’s Athletes2Coaches show how supporting athletes with disabilities in undertaking coaching development helps to fill a gap...

Listening to athletes is an important part of enacting cultural change in sport. Canadian researchers interviewed athletes to get their perspective on when the feel safe versus unsafe in high performance sport settings. Inappropriate coach behaviour, an inattentive system, lack of resources and exclusion by teammates make athletes feel unsafe, while knowledgable and supportive coaches...

Research shows that video assistance referee (VAR) technology in professional soccer has helped with officials’ decision-making, but has disrupted the flow of the game. To improve speed and accuracy, FIFA debuted a new technology at the 2022 World Cup that automates the detection of offsides. Using multiple cameras and artificial intelligence software, officials were able...

“As an athlete, you’re always thinking about yourself. Then my daughter, Kate, comes along and that whole perspective totally changes. I had to make every moment count, whether I was being a mom with Kate, or training at the gym,” says 2-time Olympian, Mandy Bujold. The Canadian boxer discusses her fight to earn a spot...