Canadian Para Nordic skiers on multi-sport and athlete transfer

Robbi Weldon, Christina Picton and Cindy Ouellet have a collective 10 Paralympic appearances between them. All 3 women are multi-sport athletes from childhood and all 3 have represented Canada in Para nordic skiing. On the surface, their experiences with the Canadian Para sport system may seem similar. But what their stories show is that there…

Protecting young athletes’ mental health

Youth elite athletes are under-researched despite being faced with the challenges of puberty in addition to pressures to perform in high performance contexts. New research advocates that intervening early is critical to promoting mental health among youth elite athletes.

Push and pull: Paralympian Brianna Hennessy is stronger for her multi-sport participation

Paralympian Brianna Hennessy sees her combination of sports (wheelchair rugby and Para canoe and kayak) as inherently compatible. One sport relies on pushing, the other on pulling, making her an all-round better athlete. Experiences like Hennessy’s are part of the reason that the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Own the Podium are collaborating to develop an…

Efficacy of napping on sport performance

A systematic review and meta-analysis of available research determined that a 30-60 minute afternoon nap has a beneficial impact on physical performance. An afternoon nap also promotes improved cognitive performance and reduces perceived fatigue after sport activity.

Nicotine and elite sport

The use of nicotine by athletes has not been thoroughly examined. A recent study found that 1 in 5 athletes, from a range of 90 different sports, tested positive for nicotine in-competition. Positivity rates were lower in endurance sports than power-based ones, and lower in individual sports than team sports. These findings suggest that WADA…

All that glitters is not gold: The rising threat of competition manipulation

You’d be hard pressed to visit a large Canadian city these days and not see a billboard for sports gambling. Maybe you’ve noticed a similar trend while watching TV, of athletes and celebrities telling us not only which sports books to use, but how easy it is to bet on games across different sports and…

Canadian high performance athletes’ use of retirement resources

Athlete Sprinting

Earning a roster position as a nationally carded athlete is no easy task (“carding” refers to financial assistance from Sport Canada’s Athlete Assistance Program). Athletes spend years working on their craft to represent Canada on the international stage. The length of time spent in the role as a national athlete varies across sports and between…

In addition to warming up, “priming” may help athletes perform

Everyone knows to warm up before competing, but have you heard of “priming” beforehand? Priming is a round of non-tiring exercise that is done the day before or morning of a competition. Research shows priming may improve performance, as well as reduce athlete pre-competition stress.

Cannabis and sport: What athletes and sport organizations need to know

American football on field with goal post in background.

Highlights With the exception of CBD, cannabinoids remain prohibited by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport during the competition phase of the athletic season and therefore are not to be used by athletes Although some cannabis and CBD products may be suggested to have the potential to aid with recovery or sports performance, very…

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