Sustainable Development Goals in sport
“The Sustainable Development Goals, and the global movement to use them to measure the impacts of sport, can help governments and sport organizations better understand the impacts of their current work, as well as guiding future investments and initiatives.”– Vicki Walker, Director General at Sport Canada. For more information about how the SDGs are informing…
Pandemic curling
“This is just one huge exercise in risk management… the health risks, financial risk, reputation risk, and compliance risk. It’s sort of risk management on steroids.” In the SIRCuit, Curling Canada CEO Katherine Henderson shares learnings and insight on hosting key national and international events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trend reports
Trend reports can be a valuable source of insight for sport organization boards of directors who are working to develop their strategic foresight skills. Reflecting on emerging developments in consumer behaviour and attitudes, government priorities, and industry innovation can help ensure your organization stays relevant into the future.
Building capacity for evaluation with students and volunteers
An essential part of improving sport service delivery is program evaluation. Program evaluation allows sport organizations to understand how their programs or initiatives work in different ways. However, many organizations receive insufficient training or lack the capacity (staff, funding or time) to engage in evaluative work (Carman & Fredericks, 2010). One way that sport organizations can boost capacity for evaluation is to involve students and volunteers. Indeed, there are many examples of graduate students partnering with…
Coping with climate change
In recent years, extreme weather conditions have affected a range of sport events, including tennis’s 2020 Australian Open (heat and smoke), the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan (Typhoon Hagibis), and the 2019 IAAF World Track and Field championships in Qatar (extreme heat). Intentional discussions with board members and staff about potential climate hazards is…
Gender-neutral language
Using gender-neutral language throughout policies, procedures, and communications is one way for sport organizations to be more inclusive of LGBTQI2S people and communities. Phrases like, “he or she” or “both genders,” can easily be updated to “they/them/their” and “all genders” to become more inclusive.
Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act
The 2021 Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) incorporates the World Anti-Doping Agency’s new Athletes’ Anti-Doping Rights Act. Developed by athletes, for athletes, the Act outlines various athlete rights with respect to the fight against doping and to further support athletes worldwide in their right to compete in clean, fair and ethical sport. Learn how the CADP…
Importance of relationships to sport organization resilience
Research shows relationships have been a game changer for sport organization resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strong networks and knowledge of key systems and stakeholders enabled the pivot of programs and services, and access to wage subsidies and rent relief arrangements.
Teamwork
Anyone who spends time in the world of sports knows the value of teamwork—but we don’t often think about how different sports might work together towards a common goal. The Nordic Strategy is a joint initiative designed to explore how working together can help all four Canadian Nordic sports—Biathlon, Nordic Skiing, Nordic Combined, and Ski…
LGBTQI2S inclusion
The effects of COVID-19 are significantly impacting the physical and mental health of the LGBTQI2S community. For sport organizations, participating in LGBTQI2S inclusive training opportunities, using gender-neutral language in policies and communications, and creating sanctions for anti-LGBTQI2S behaviour are just a few ways to be more inclusive of LGBTQI2S people and communities both now and when we return…