Anti-doping Blog

In these days of doping scandals, athletes can find themselves wondering about the other athletes lining up beside them. Canadian weightlifter Christine Girard, awarded medals from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games in December 2018, advises athletes to stay true to their values, work hard, and trust in the system. Learn more about her journey…

Communities of character

A values-based approach to sport supports the development of “communities of character” where athletes, coaches, officials, parents and other stakeholders work together to create a welcoming, safe, athlete-centred environment. Learn more about values-based sport and creating communities of character in the SIRCuit.

Well-planned vegetarian eating

Thinking about making some changes to your diet now that Health Canada has released an updated Food Guide? Plant-based and vegetarian diets offer many health benefits including the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. This article from the Dietitians of Canada offers tips and meal options for well-planned vegetarian eating.

Explicit Approach to Life Skills

Strategies to help athletes develop sport-specific physical skills can also be used to explicitly teach life skills through sport. A deliberate approach includes focusing on one life skill at a time, drawing connections, and using teachable moments. Learn more in the SIRC blog.

Hazing Policy

Most university and college athletic departments have policies that directly prohibit hazing practices. However, research revealed that hazing-related policy was often buried in broader codes of conduct or addressed in harassment and abuse policies, or that policies were poorly implemented and enforced. Creating hazing-specific policy can help organizations address and prevent hazing. Learn more in…

Innovations to Address RAEs

Interventions such as age-ordered shirt numbering and corrective adjustments that account for birthday in timed events such as sprinting, may be effective at mitigating relative age effects (RAEs). Learn more about current research and new innovations to address RAEs in the SIRCuit.

Athlete Perspective – Social Media

While social media can have many positive uses for athletes, from interacting with fans to providing value for sponsors, engagement can also pose risks to performance. In today’s blog, Olympic curler Lisa Weagle provides insight into the steps she and her teammates used leading up to Pyeongchang to control the impact of social media on…

Athlete Perspective: How to manage social media during competition

SIRC’s Athlete Perspective series provides insight and recommendations on key issues from an athlete’s perspective. The collection of blogs and SIRCuit articles profiles Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes and taps into their lived experience. While social media can have many positive uses for athletes, such as interacting with fans, creating a brand, and providing value…

RAE Impacts

The “relative age effect” (RAE) advantages relatively older individuals in an age group while disadvantaging the relatively youngest. This age inequality can have significant impacts on sport and educational performance, and long-term health and wellbeing. Learn more in the SIRCuit.

Mental Health & Eating Disorders

When athletes are struggling with mental health, sometimes offhand comments from coaches and teammates can have negative consequences. In today’s video, produced by the Canadian Olympic Committee for Bell Let’s Talk Day, diver Francois Imbeau-Dulac shares his struggles with an eating disorder and his courage to ask for help.