Knowledge Nuggets

Climate change can have a profound impact on the conditions at the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, impacting athletes’ safety and ability to perform. Modelling suggests that if global emissions remain on the trajectory of the last 2 decades, only 1 city will remain worldwide with the ability to reliably host the Games. A low...

Did you know that 12% of athletes competing in the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games experienced an injury? While injury rates have remained similar across the last 3 Winter Olympics, there is considerable variation in incidence rates across sports. Understanding sport-specific variations in illness or injury can help with prevention and planning of healthcare during...

For athletes competing in Beijing, meeting nutrition goals in a different food environment might be a challenge. Planning for eating en route, considering food culture at the destination, and establishing team rules around food hygiene can help teams and athletes ensure good nutrition, manage jet lag, and reduce the risk of illness during travel.

After injury, athletes can experience a range of negative emotions and coping strategies (e.g., anxiety, worry, ruminating or dwelling, avoidance). Self-compassion can enable athletes to focus on healthier, more proactive ways of moving forward with recovery, and may even reduce injury occurrence by decreasing athletes’ physiological activation to stress and facilitating their ability to focus...

Canadian athletes travelling to Beijing will have to deal with a significant time change. Jet lag can negatively impact sleep schedules and performance. However, research shows that good sleep hygiene (for example, a comfortable pillow and earplugs) and controlled light exposure can improve athletes’ speed and power for up to 96 hours after travel.

COVID-19 has significant health impacts, making it a concern for elite athletes. Encouragingly, a study from the United Kingdom shows that most national team athletes with COVID-19 only experienced mild illness. But it’s not the same for everyone. Athletes with symptoms in the lower respiratory tract, such as chest pain, were more likely to have...

Research shows that time spent outdoors being active is excellent for your mental health. When you exercise (especially outside), your body releases endorphins and feel-good chemicals that help boost your mood and beat the winter blues. If you’re looking for an easy way to get moving this month, join ParticipACTION’s True North Challenge, running February...

There are many things that go into a podium-level performance. Interestingly, World, Olympic, and Paralympic champions report that mental skills were more critical to their performance than physical factors. Interpersonal support, performance strategies, and lifestyle are other factors that can help develop high-performing athletes.

“There are reasons why Black, Indigenous, people of colour, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+ and new Canadians are not picking hockey, and we really needed to hear from these individuals in order to inform and effect positive change,” says Dean Smith, Chair of Hockey Nova Scotia’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. More than 800 people weighed...

Thriving is the joint experience of development and success. In sport, thriving is important for athlete well-being. Evidence-based strategies for coaches to facilitate thriving include placing athletes in challenging situations that promote learning, fostering a trusting environment, and encouraging bonds between teammates, coaches and other program staff.