Rise of the athlete voice
“As athletes, we’re being taken more seriously and senior leaders are asking for our opinions – not because they feel they have to check a box, but because they believe we have something important to bring to the table.” – Seyi Smith, Chair of the COC’s Athletes’ Commission and two-time Olympian, reflects on the rise…
Summer’s Olympics
Fourteen-year-old Toronto-based swimmer Summer McIntosh is Canada’s youngest Olympian in Tokyo. In June, the Grade 9 student won the 200m freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials, beating out 2016 Olympic champion Penny Oleksiak. Make sure to watch this rising star and the rest of Canada’s Olympic swim team in action until August 1 in Tokyo!
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games officially open today and continue through Sunday, August 8. With 370 athletes and 131 coaches attending, this is the largest contingent of Canadian athletes at an Olympic Games since Los Angeles 1984.
Flashback
Tokyo last hosted the Olympic Games in 1964. At that edition of the Games, Canada’s only gold-medalists were men’s pair rowers Roger Jackson and George Hungerford. As Canada’s largest rowing team in 25 years gears up for Tokyo 2020, Kai Langerfeld and Conlin McCabe will be looking to repeat history in the same event. The…
Heat acclimatization
The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are expected to be among the hottest ever recorded. As athletes prepare for the games, researchers have found that heat acclimatization is the best measure to protect health and performance. This can include 60 to 90 minutes of daily training in the heat for one to two weeks before…
The new normal? How digital innovation evolved the fan experience
Highlights Sports fans and spectators, from the grassroots to the professional level, have had to engage with their favourite teams and athletes in new ways during the pandemic. Canadian sport businesses, broadcasters, leagues and teams are driving fan engagement through digital innovation, from virtual stadiums to streaming services. The introduction of new technologies, including advanced…
Tokyo, Beijing and a global pandemic: How 4 sports are advancing Safe Sport
Highlights In recent years, national sport organizations have been hard at work on Safe Sport policies and initiatives. They’re designed to ensure the safety and well-being of sport communities, from the grassroots level all the way up to national teams. Sport organizations have several opportunities to advance Safe Sport, including: Revising existing policies to ensure…
Preparing for an Olympic and Paralympic Games like no other
Highlights After a one-year postponement, the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan will be held just 6 months before the 2022 Winter Games kick off in Beijing, China. The postponement of Tokyo 2020 created a unique set of challenges for the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee, who are also preparing…
Summer 2021 SIRCuit
The Summer 2021 SIRCuit is now available! The SIRCuit is designed to highlight important research and insights to advance the Canadian sport system. With the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo on the horizon and the winter Games in Beijing just around the corner, this edition of the SIRCuit dives into issues and trends that will…
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is scheduled to make its Olympic debut in Tokyo this summer. Research shows that sport climbing is a safe sport with low injury frequency. However, climbing on artificial surfaces rather than on real rock encourages more acrobatic movements that can increase the risk of injury.