ReThink Sport: Building an inclusive and equitable future for youth sports in Canada

From coast to coast to coast, what could a reimagined equitable, diverse, and inclusive youth sport system look like, especially for girls? This is the question driving the mission of the ReThink Sport Project. Given what we know; that youth face a myriad of barriers to sport participation including identity factors such as gender, race,…
Let’s talk inclusion: Key considerations for the inclusion of 2SLGBTQI+ athletes

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the 2SLGBTQI+ communities as well as reflect on how to enhance and ensure inclusion in sport. This year, SIRC has partnered with Canadian Women & Sport to build a new resource for sport leaders and organizations: Key Considerations to Promote the Inclusion of Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+…
Striving for gender equity in sport
It is important in all realms of life to strive for gender equity and equality. In a recent study conducted on an Australian football and netball club aiming for gender equity, researchers analyzed decision-making structures and the establishment of women’s football sections over a 6-month period using interviews and observations. Despite efforts to promote gender…
Taking a non-binary approach to sport diversity
Gender binaries have an influence on sports policies, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by transgender individuals. A recent study highlights the limitations of current governing body procedures, which often prioritize binary gender structures and fail to accommodate non-binary identities.
Injury and gender across sports
In the realm of sports, the potential for injury looms large, with varying degrees of risk across different athletic endeavours. A recent study reveals that, overall, soccer has the highest head impact rate among both boys and girls. However, when examining male and female sports separately, male high school soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams exhibit…
Natasha Cyrille ( natasha.cyrille@womenandsport.ca ) @ 04/22/2024 8:18 am
Help-seeking for mental health
This study showed that female athletes exhibited more positive attitudes towards seeking help and held higher expectations regarding counseling compared to male athletes. These findings shed light on potential gender-related disparities in the perception of mental health support in sport, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches to adapt to the diverse needs of athletes.
Optimizing gender-specific performance
Optimizing performance in soccer requires collaboration among coaches, physicians, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists to provide tailored recommendations. A recent study offers valuable insights into essential factors, including hydration status and training load structure, crucial for optimizing body composition and health.
Understanding the capacity of national sport organizations (NSOs) for gender equity: Recommendations for NSO Leaders and Policy Directors

As leaders of amateur sport in Canada, national sport organizations (NSOs) are tasked with addressing gender equity and increased engagement of women and girls. NSO leaders may focus their efforts through new policies, initiatives or programs, but their ability to successfully develop and implement these new ideas is dependent on their organization’s capacity to do…
Ski like a girl: Researchers reveal hidden histories of women in Nordic sport

From a U of A varsity ski club to the Canadian Birkebeiner and the Olympics, women have always been part of the landscape of winter sport. When Lyndsay Conrad dove into her archival research on early 20th-century ski history in Alberta, she found women were missing in the standard narratives, yet leap out in old…