Knowledge Nuggets

Sport can provide refugees opportunities to make social connections. To successfully integrate refugees into sport, sport organizations need an active approach needs by managers, coaches and volunteers. A positive and welcoming environment, an inclusive narrative, and making the club feel safe and fun are other factors that can contribute to success.

The #WeThe15 campaign aims to use sport to help break down barriers and end discrimination against the 15% of the world’s population that experiences disability. But some researchers argue that the campaign overlooks the exclusionary nature of certain events, such as the Paralympic Games (in which only certain bodies with disabilities are eligible to compete)....

A role outlines the specific behaviours that are expected of an individual to achieve established team goals. On a team, each role should interact seamlessly to help the team reach its untapped potential. Members will perform better individually when they understand their role, and role clarity sets the stage for team success.

The FIFA 11+ program was developed in 2011 based on medical research. It consists of a warm-up routine that combines exercises in strength, running, and balance to prevent injuries in soccer players. Despite its current success, research shows that higher program uptake can be achieved by raising injury prevention awareness and promoting protecting players’ overall...

Mentorship can enhance coach recruitment, retention and promotion across sport by advancing coach skill, comfort and confidence. In 2020, the Black Female Coaches Mentorship Program (BFCMP) started as a way to address the mentorship gap for Black women coaches in Canada. New research with the BFCMP explored the experiences of Black women coaches, and points...

As sport leaders and organizations, we’re often concerned with participant retention. We rarely consider how dropout may play an important role in sport development pathways, or potential pathways for sport re-engagement later in life. The inclusion of sport dropout as a potential pathway in long-term sport participation models could push for a dialogue on how...

Sport can be a powerful resource for children who had experienced trauma. A case study of BGC Canada’s Bounce Back League shows that new trauma-informed practices can be successfully integrated into communities by taking small steps, maintaining open communication, and building on existing club capacities.

Mental illness affects 35% of elite athletes, and some challenges—like performance anxiety and identity loss—are unique to the sport environment. In this video, McMaster university researchers discuss strategies like mental health awareness, individualized development programs, and mental health screenings to improve athlete well-being.

Diagnosing concussions in athletes and deciding on return-to-play strategies often relies on subjective measurements. The Concussion Index can help reduce subjectivity by using brain electrical activity and machine learning to diagnose concussions. Improved diagnosis reliability can help reduce concussion-related disabilities in athletes.

The Invictus Games is an international adaptive sport competition for service members and Veterans with physical and mental illnesses and injuries. Uniquely, it integrates family programming and support into program delivery. In the SIRC blog, Invictus Games researchers share tips that sport programmers can use to support military families, from recognizing and appreciating family to...