The growth of sporting mega events
The Summer and Winter Olympics and the World Cup are 3 of the world’s largest tourist events. These events have grown 60-fold over the last 50 years, which is a growth rate 50 times faster that the world’s GDP. What does this mean for the future of these events? Have we reached peak mega event?…
How personality relates to athlete development
If everyone knows it takes years of practice to develop expertise in sport, why is it that only some athletes will practice with full concentration and effort while others will tend to avoid it? Why do very talented athletes sometimes fail to develop into experts while others, who may be initially less skilled, succeed in moving…
Early specialization
There has long been debate regarding the benefits versus pitfalls of early specialization in sport. A recent study of young basketball players shows that early sport specialization does not provide a physical fitness advantage.
Supporting elite athletes postpartum
There are limited supports in place for elite athletes returning to sport after pregnancy. A recent Canadian study, based on interviews with elite athletes, identifies key actionable steps for sport organizations to take to support postpartum athletes. Examples of these steps include: screening athletes for psychological and physical readiness in return to training, providing lactation…
Transitioning to inclusive sport: Understanding barriers to transgender Canadians’ participation in recreational and high-performance sport
Project summary How and where trans athletes participate in sport is highly contested and inconsistent due to the competing, and often contradictory, policies in force throughout the country in different sport disciplines at a different levels of competition. This study sought to seek out and amplify the voices of people impacted by trans eligibility policies…
Moral values identity moderates relationship between sport supplement use and doping
Research suggests that sport supplement users are more likely to use prohibited substances to improve performance than non-users. But, a recent study showed that an athlete’s personal morality plays an important role in an athlete’s decision to dope, even if they are a supplement user.
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.