Olympic hosting relationship to medal count
Does hosting the Olympics result in a higher medal count for the host country? A recent study examined purported home advantage at the summer Olympics from 1996 to 2021. The findings suggest that assumptions about the “host effect” are exaggerated.
Managing the competing tensions of social media as a high performance athlete
Social media has become an increasingly commercialized space within the sporting industry, with brands and sponsors seeking to reach consumers through athletes’ platforms. So is social media good, or bad, for the sport industry? For athletes? For women and athletes of marginalized communities? The answer seems to be: it’s both. Or, rather, it depends who…
The Board, the Chair, and the CEO: Role clarification within sport governance
Organizations deserve exemplary governance. And yet, few boards perform at this level. I believe every board wants to shape a meaningful future for the organization it is governing. If it is do this a board needs to achieve 3 outcomes through its governing system: This requires the board to be proactive, not reactive, and to…
Terry Fox
Terry Fox was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a form of cancer, and lost his right leg to an above-the-knee amputation. Fox learned of the limited cancer research funding in Canada while seeking treatment, inspiring him to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He achieved his goal of raising $1 per Canadian, and…
The 2026 World Cup is coming to Canada: Time to get ready… politically!
This past winter, the world’s most viewed sport mega-event, the FIFA Men’s World Cup, was held in Qatar. As a “pure” sporting spectacle, Qatar 2022 counts as one of the most compelling sport mega-events in history, with the (arguably) greatest footballer of all-time, Lionel Messi, leading his Argentina national team to a penalty shootout victory…
Anti-racism-in-sport
The Anti-Racism in Sport campaign video features Winnipeg athletes and sport stakeholders sharing their experiences with racism in sport. They offer recommendations to all members of the Canadian sport community to take action against racism in sport.
Knowledge mobilization for sport organizations
Knowledge mobilization is the process of sharing evidence-based findings with an audience who can use those findings in practice. Knowledge mobilization helps close the gap between what is known and what is done. Closing this knowledge-to-action gap can advance the sport sector by providing sport stakeholders with information that enables them to enhance practice, policies…
Recruiting, retaining and supporting volunteers in a changing sport system
Paul Varian is a sport-management consultant and thought-leader with experience at all levels of the sport sector, from community and amateur sport to large national governing bodies. Throughout his long career in sport, Varian has served as the Chief Executive of the Irish Hockey Association, President and CEO of Sport BC, and Manager of the…
Demographics of Canadian strength and conditioning coaches
New research on Canadian strength and conditioning coaches has shed light on demographics. The study found that the mean age of coaches was 34 years. 77.% of participants were male and 90.7% did not identify as a visible minority. This demographic data can inform future targeted recruitment and mentoring within the field.
Safe sport jobs increase as Canadian sport sector responds to community
Safe sport and safeguarding in sport have become top priorities for the Canadian sport sector. Prevalence studies have revealed that athletes across different levels of sport frequently experience maltreatment (Alexander et coll., 2011; Vertommen et coll., 2016; US Center for SafeSport, 2021; Willson et coll., 2022). Equity deserving athletes experience more harm in sport (Burdsey,…