Combating gender-based violence

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Gender-based violence is violence that is committed against someone based on their gender identity or expression. Canadian Women & Sport offers 6 ways in which gender equity in sport can help reduce gender-based violence, including clear policies, education, men’s allyship, and mentorship and sponsorship…

Supporting the lone girl

Girls competing on boys’ teams happens often and across numerous sports. But according to new research, ‘lone girls’ face unique challenges to their sport participation, leaving many girls to feel both left out and singled out because of their gender. Support the lone girl on your team by ensuring that they have a safe and…

Trauma-sensitive youth sport programs

Sport can be a powerful resource for children who had experienced trauma. A case study of BGC Canada’s Bounce Back League shows that new trauma-informed practices can be successfully integrated into communities by taking small steps, maintaining open communication, and building on existing club capacities.

Acquired Cognitive-Communication Disorders and Post-Concussion Syndrome in sport: What you should know 

Sport-Related Concussion has become recognized as a major health problem that affects millions of people around the world annually (Wang et al., 2016). In Canada, sport and recreational activities account for a large proportion of concussions, particularly amongst children, adolescents and young adults (Government of Canada 2018).   Most concussed individuals recover within 4 weeks. Typical…

Developing a Safe Sport framework

To create a Safe Sport environment, research with Canadian sport administrators points to a need for changes to policy and education at all levels. Focusing on harm prevention is not sufficient. Sport organizations also need to promote positive values and human rights.

Sport research priorities

Promotion of safe sport experiences and sustaining volunteer engagement are two of the eight top research priorities identified by Canadian sport and physical activity stakeholders. By tailoring their research activities to fit the needs of knowledge users, sport and physical activity scholars can produce more impactful research.

Playing devil’s advocate: How to avoid groupthink in sport environments

“This is how we’ve always done it.” You’ve heard that phrase before. Whether you’ve said it or heard it said, it’s clear that groupthink is present in every corner of our society. When we fail to consider fresh perspectives in favour of tradition during decision making, we limit ourselves and our abilities. Take it from…

Protection and retention of officials

Community organizations across the country are experiencing a shortage of sports officials. Soccer referees have been in short supply during the pandemic, a problem worsened due to bad sideline behaviour of parents, players and coaches. The Teal Shirt Campaign allows first year referees to identify themselves on the job and encourages spectators to show respect…

Supporting the LGBTQ+ community in sports

Sports environments can be unwelcoming for LGBTQ+ youth. According to a national survey, 24.7% of LGBTQ+ youth reported avoiding athletic fields/facilities at school because they felt unsafe and 11.3% reported that they were discouraged from playing sports by faculty members. Promoting safe sports environments for LGBTQ+ youth has been shown to be beneficial for their…

“That’s a Blue for you”: Referee experiences managing concussion injury risk in Canadian amateur rugby

People who are into sports like soccer and rugby are familiar with yellow and red cards. When an official presents a player with a yellow card, that’s a warning that they’ve committed an offence on the playing field. A red card means the player must leave the field immediately and can no longer take part…