{field:topics_and_trends_1560795520733} Archives - The Sport Information Resource Centre

Celebrating 11 years of conference delivery, the 2023 edition of the Race Directors’ Conference marks the return of in-person meetings and a continuation of the formidable partnership with Triathlon BC and BC
Athletics. Learn, network and socialize with event hosts from BC and across Canada, who together, call on well over 250,000 participants and over 200 sanctioned events.

With an overarching theme of professionalizing sport delivery and enhancing the athlete experience, this year’s Conference will focus on story telling. Amid a cluttered event marketplace, how can you set your
event apart from the rest? Join senior experts from Sport Tourism, as they dive into the hundreds of millions of dollars sport events contribute to the Canadian economy, and how to gainfully leverage this
intelligence so you can you create a more robust pitch to host communities. Listen to leaders from Municipalities outline best practices in creating effective hosting strategies, and how you can best
partner with host communities. And, based on feedback (more marketing please!), participants can also look forward to a Marketing Boot Camp, engaging with media experts that will spill the beans on how to
effectively deploy influencers, super charge social channels and create meaningful email marketing campaigns that readily convert views and likes into participants!

But wait, there’s more to the Conference then just gaining knowledge
and making valuable connections among peers and building collaborative
relationships that will help enhance your event’s profile. We’ve
partnered with the City of Burnaby, and will be hosting a keynote address, together with a wine and cheese reception and FlyOver Canada show on Friday evening. The Conference will end with a foodtruck dinner and a visit to Pumpkins After Dark, Canada’s award-winning outdoor Halloween event, featuring over 6,000 hand-carved pumpkins!

DETAILS

IN-PERSON COST: $25.00 in-person, includes FlyOver Canada, Wine and Cheese reception, Saturday dinner and Pumpkins After Dark

VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE: $10.00, streaming online Saturday session only

DATES & TIMES: Friday, October 27th @ 6:00pm – 9:00pm & Saturday, October 28 @ 9:00am – 5:00pm

ACCOMMODATIONS: Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby – blocked rooms under Triathlon BC through to September 26th

REGISTRATION: NOW OPEN!

Itinerary currently being confirmed and may be subject to change.

Friday, October 27, 6pm – 9pm Flying Whale Cafe, Vancouver
FlyOver Canada Show
Welcoming & Keynote Address
Wine & Cheese Networking Social

Saturday, October 28, 9am – 5pm Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby

Morning Schedule

Doors Open – Coffee/ tea
Welcome & Introductions
Session #1 – Sport Tourism; Sport hosting as Economic Drivers in the Community
Session #2 – Sport Tourism Round Table; Maximizing your Event Bid
Session #3 – Community Engagement; Creating Lasting Relationships with Municipalities
Panel – Sport Tourism

| Catered Lunch |

Afternoon Schedule

Announcements & Introductions
Session #4 – Communications Audit; Common Communication Problems
Session #5 – Plan B; When Things Go Pear-Shaped
Session #6 – Actionable Marketing; Race marketing trends with tried and true marketing fundamentals
Session #7 – Strategies of Engagement; brand strategies, content creation, and content marketing
Panel – The State of Sport

| Food Truck Dinner | Pumpkins After Dark Social

Travel Subsidies: One per event, are available to representatives from sanctioned Triathlon BC events traveling from outside of Metro Vancouver area.

The Petro-Canada Sport Leadership sportif conference (#SLS23) is Canada’s largest conference for coaches, researchers, sport executives, and administrators. It consists of learning, professional development, and networking with the top minds and leaders of the Canadian sport, business, and education communities. We are excited to welcome delegates from across the country to join us from November 2 – 3 at the Westin Calgary Hotel.

Markel Canada is pleased to be hosting Sport Law and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) as they facilitate a legal, leadership and True Sport workshop to increase the capacity of sport leaders to manage the complexities of leading an ethically driven and legally sound sport organization.

The Hope on the Horizon Tour was conceived as part of Sport Law and the CCES’s commitment to meaningfully support the community that we have been a part of for over 30 years. In response to increased expectations on ethically managing and governing provincial, territorial and community sport organizations, these workshops will focus on supporting the leaders that are an instrumental part of the Canadian sport landscape.

“We believe that hope is the one thing that can change everything, which is why we have committed to launching the Hope on the Horizon Tour. We are so excited to make Toronto our latest stop on this national initiative this month for a coordinated effort that connects, educates, and inspires leaders to modernize their business practices,” shared Steve Indig, Sport Law partner.

Markel Canada will host the Hope on the Horizon Tour on September 12, 2023, at their downtown Toronto location (200 Wellington Street). The workshop will be hosted in Toronto for national, provincial and community sport organizations in Ontario who are seeking meaningful support to ethically managing and governing their organizations. To confirm your participation please, please email hello@sportlaw.ca.

“The CCES believes in working collaboratively to address unethical behaviours and promoting a values-based approach that will ensure positive sport experiences for all. As part of our commitment to fostering safe and welcoming environments through True Sport, we are excited to support provincial and territorial sport leaders who are integral to making sport better, and look forward to bringing this event to Toronto.” said Karri Dawson, Executive Director, Values-Based Sport, CCES.

The Hope on the Horizon Tour is being hosted across Canada, for more information on upcoming events, click here. For media inquiries and to learn more about the Hope on the Horizon Tour, please contact Dina Bell-Laroche, Sport Law Partner, at 613-294-4118 or dblaroche@sportlaw.ca.

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About Sport Law
Sport Law has been providing strategic insight to the Canadian sport community since 1992. We offer a full range of consulting, leadership coaching and legal services to the Canadian sport community. We are accessible, affordable, highly skilled, and bring experience and common sense to every project. Our vision is to elevate sport. To learn more about us please visit www.sportlaw.ca.

About the CCES
The CCES works collaboratively to ensure Canadians have a positive sport experience. Through its programs, the CCES manages unethical issues in sport, protects the integrity of Canadian sport, and promotes True Sport to activate values-based sport on and off the field of play. The CCES is an independent, national, not-for profit organization that is responsible for the administration of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. The CCES acknowledges funding, in part, from the Government of Canada. For more information, visit cces.ca, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Montréal (Québec) – The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) wishes to inform all members of the Canadian sport community that its annual public meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (EDT) in the Courtside A&B room of the RA Centre, located at 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario. Remote participation will also be possible.

Presentations by the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, and the Sport Integrity Commissioner will be followed by a discussion and a light lunch.

The SDRCC’s 2022-2023 Annual Report, 2023-2024 Corporate Plan and 2020-2024 Strategic Plan are available on the SDRCC website here.

For more information on the event, please contact Tanya Gates by email at tgates@crdsc-sdrcc.ca. To confirm your participation, please complete the registration form.

About SDRCC

The SDRCC is a not-for-profit corporation created by federal legislation and funded by the Government of Canada. The mission of the SDRCC is to provide the sport community with a national alternative dispute resolution service and strengthen the culture of fairness in Canadian sport by resolving disputes quickly and efficiently and to provide expertise and assistance regarding alternative dispute resolution. In 2022, as mandated by the Government of Canada, the SDRCC implemented the Abuse-Free Sport program to prevent and address maltreatment in
sport. crdsc-sdrcc.ca

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For more information, please contact:

Marie-Claude Asselin
Chief Executive Officer
Mobile: (514) 465-7339
mcasselin@crdsc-sdrcc.ca

July 4, 2023 – (Ottawa, ON) The latest episode of Sportopia: Conversations about healthy, human sport, titled “Choosing the important over the immediate”, is now available. Listen now as we share insights and enhance the legal and leadership knowledge of sport leaders. Episodes are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music. You can also listen on our website.

Partners Steve Indig and Dina Bell-Laroche host this conversation, spending 30 minutes exploring explores the tyranny of the immediate and its impact on sport leaders. During this 30-minute conversation, they discuss how to move from the immediate to the important with the aim of creating healthier humans in a healthier sport system.

We wish to thank the sport leader that reached out to us after listening to a previous episode of Sportopia to ask about the tyranny of the immediate.

Click here to listen to Episode 13: Choosing the important over the immediate

The podcast is meant to answer burning questions from sport leaders, so we are inviting listeners to share ideas for future topics and to ask questions you’d like for us to tackle. Listen and submit questions and comments via email and social media (@sportlawca) to have your say in conversations about healthy, human sport!

For all the updates be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

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About Sport Law
Sport Law has been providing strategic insight to the Canadian sport community since 1992. We offer a full range of consulting, leadership coaching, and legal services to the Canadian sport community. We are accessible, affordable, highly skilled, and bring experience and common sense to every project. Our vision is to elevate sport. To learn more about us please visit www.sportlaw.ca.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO (April 27, 2023) – Over 20 sprint paddlers from across Canada have booked their tickets to the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint and Para World Cup in Szeged, Hungary.

The World Cup team trials, held at the Chula Vista Elite Training Centre, served as a selection regatta for the ICF Canoe Sprint and Para World Cup running from May 11-14.

“The sprint competitive season is off to a strong start with strong performances from our squad at our selection trials,” said Chief Technical Officer, Ian Mortimer. “With World Championships and Pan Am Games ahead this season, the World Cup will be an exciting opportunity for us to test ourselves on the International stage.”

Eight Olympic and Paralympic paddlers from Tokyo were selected to the team, including 2022 two-time world champion, Katie Vincent.

“We are really excited to be heading over to Hungary for the World Cup,” said Vincent. “With lots of veterans on our team, I think our experience will be our strength in this pre-Olympic year. Everyone on the team has learned a lot from each other in the past year and this world cup event will be a great representation of our collaboration and growth as we continue to develop on the road to Paris!”

Paralympian Brianna Hennessy is looking forward to another powerful paddling season, following a busy winter season and cross-training with the National wheelchair rugby team.

“I am extremely grateful for the winter training with my coaches and teammates who have supported and helped me push through some difficult times for my family recently,” said Hennessy. “I am honoured to have been selected for the team and am humbled to have another opportunity to compete on the world stage alongside so many phenomenal athletes that I admire in both kayak and canoe.”

You can tune into live World Cup coverage on the ICF website. Stay tuned for World Championship team selections happening at the second set of trials in June at the Olympic Basin from June 23-25.

To learn more about selection criteria, click here.

2023 Sprint World Cup Team

Para Club

Gabe Ferron-Bouius	Rideau Canoe Club
Brianna Hennessy	Ottawa River Canoe Club
Erica Scarff	Mississauga Canoe Club
Mathieu St-Pierre	Club de canotage du Shawinigan

Women’s Canoe Club

Sophia Jensen	Cascades
Julia Lilley Osende	Mic Mac Aquatic Canoe Club
Sloan MacKenzie	Cheema Aquatic Club
Katie Vincent	Mississauga Canoe Club

Men’s Canoe Club

Connor Fitzpatrick	Senobe Aquatic Club
Tyler Laidlaw	Sack-a-Wa Canoe Club
Alix Plomteux	Club de Canoe-Kayak Lac-Beauport
Craig Spence	Cheema Aquatic Club

Women’s Kayak Club

Toshka Besharah-Hrebacka	Rideau Canoe Club
Maren Bradley	Rideau Canoe Club
Riley Melanson	Cheema Aquatic Club
Michelle Russell	Cheema Aquatic Club
Madeline Schmidt	Rideau Canoe Club

Men’s Kayak Club

Laurent Lavigne	Club de canoe-kayak de vitesse de Trois-Rivières
Simon McTavish	Mississauga Canoe Club
Nicholas Matveev	Balmy Beach Canoe Club
Pierre-Luc Poulin	Club de Canoe-Kayak Lac-Beauport

Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @CanoeKayakCAN for social updates.

Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing list to get all news and results directly to your email.

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 26 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information:

Colleen Coderre
Communications Lead
ccoderre@canoekayak.ca

Emmalee Nother
Communications Coordinator
enother@canoekayak.ca

We need to name it to tame it. Our words shape our worlds. What got us here, isn’t what we need to get us to where we want to go.

Sport is in transition. And with transition comes loss. And loss triggers grief.

It’s that simple and that complex.

As part of our ongoing efforts to support people in the sport ecosystem, we have been intentionally sharing ideas about healthier and holistic ways to support sport leaders in this much-needed and long-overdue transition. Sport, as we’ve written before is in liminal space. Liminal means to be ‘in transition’ or ‘in between worlds’. This can create all kinds of anxieties for people as they search for solid ground, meaning, and purpose. Am I still the leader that people need? Do I belong? In what ways do my approaches and beliefs align with others? Has my contribution made a difference?

As we companion others through this transition, we have noted a few trends that are worth sharing. Sometimes it’s helpful to know that we are not alone and that others might be experiencing something similar. As a trauma-informed bereavement coach, I have found that when people are suffering, they most need a caring person to bear witness to their lived experience. Often, the greatest gift is one of silence. If you can’t improve on silence, say nothing.

And let that silence mean something.

In a recent session with sport leaders, we were talking about culture. Rather than pull out my research and bedazzle them with facts and definitions, I chose to give them an experience. The impact was heart-warming. We opened up with a fun practice that invited them to share how they were feeling. We used funny animal faces to lighten up the room and invite people to connect to their current state. Inevitably, states shift … people feel lighter as they begin to connect … and they typically learn something new about their colleagues. This level of intimacy is the seeding of trust … and trust is the one thing that can change everything.

We then invited people to share stories of a time when they experienced a thriving culture. For some, they preferred to share experiences of unhealthy environments. We discovered that it takes three instances of negativity to counter one instance of positivity. Neuroscientists call this baked-in cunning self-preservation device the negativity bias – our brain’s built-in alarm system to perceive negativity even when a situation is positive or neutral. To add a bit more to this, Dr. Barbara Frederickson, a positivity researcher at the University of North Carolina, has spent decades studying the positivity-to-negativity ratio. She observed that for every negative emotional experience we endure, we will need to experience at least three heartfelt positive emotional ones to uplift us. In her words “Positivity doesn’t mean we should follow the axiom of ‘grin and bear’ it or ‘don’t worry, be happy.’ Those are simply superficial wishes. Positivity runs deeper. It consists of the whole range of positive emotions – from appreciation to love, from amusement to joy, from hope to gratitude and then some.”

Hmm … sit with that for a while and consider what is playing out in the world of sport right now. Heck, this applies to our entire global community. As we continue to feed our brains with words like “toxic culture, abusive behaviours, maltreatment, evil regimes, etc.” it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that moves us towards confirmation bias, which is our tendency to process information by looking for or interpreting information that is consistent with existing beliefs.

How do we get out of this trap when so much of our world is stacked against an open, inclusive, welcoming, and deeply respectful way of engaging with ourselves and others?

It takes practice and courage.

So, here’s our hope for the future. A world where Sport 2.0 lives up to its true potential as a valued and valuable public asset that brings people together as neighbours and when we get it right, they leave as friends. As we embark on the Hope on the Horizon Tour, here’s some of what we’ll be speaking about as we travel across the country.

Sport renaissance: We believe that the sport system has been on its death bed for quite some time and rather than continue to keep it on life-support, perhaps we can allow the current system to die so that something new can emerge. Renaissance means ‘rebirth’ and we believe that the greatest act of courage in this moment would be for thought leaders to come together and agree that the invisible systems and structures that underpin sport need to be put to rest. They were not designed to meet the complexities of a 21st-century sport system so let’s not keep playing the rearview mirror game. Let’s ask … “If we were to give birth to a new sport system … one that was values-based, inclusive, human-centric, and well-resourced, what would it look like?”
Sport as a right, not merely a privilege: We’ve been talking about making sport a right, not a privilege, for several years. Each time, people focus on how it’s not possible … the cost, the complexity, the logistics. Rather than enter into a debate by focusing on what won’t work, we’ll be exploring whether the idea of making sport a right has legs. What opens up for us when we consider this possibility? What changes as a result? How does this way of seeing sport shift how we might design it? How does making sport a right reflect our highest values? What’s the risk if we approach it from this perspective and importantly, what is the risk if we don’t?
Being kind: We can’t say enough about this. We have been in too many meetings of late where people have been unkind. When we look to blame, we separate self from other. It becomes difficult to restore trust or stay open to different possibilities and further entrenches us in a worldview that plays to confirmation bias. Then we look for partial truths to confirm what we believe to be true. When we approach difficult situations from a place of kindness, we fire up our empathy muscles and stay curious in the face of opposing worldviews. The world needs us to stay open, even as we look to hold people accountable for past harm. How can we approach this situation in a way that allows both of our worldviews to be true? These seeming polarities might just be mutually reinforcing. For additional ways to think about this way of holding complexity, check out this blog.

We can’t wait to hit the road and connect with other sport leaders who care about sport as much as we do. We remain hope-filled and hopeful that we will navigate this current transition in a manner that reflects our highest ethical standards and values. Please send us a note at hello@sportlaw.ca.

CANADA BALL HOCKEY COLLABORATES WITH HOCKEY CANADA TO HELP LAUNCH AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AND CONTEST – “Have Fun! Play Ball Hockey.”

Canada Ball Hockey Launches a Promotional Program as the Spring Season Commences.

April 6,2023 –

Canada Ball Hockey announced today the start of the HAVE FUN! PLAY BALL HOCKEY awareness campaign, designed to educate people about the organization and to also attract new participants to look at the sport as a positive experience for personal growth in a fun, team-focused environment.

“Our organization, like many others, were “dropped to our knees” from the pandemic, but the resiliency of our provincial members to overcome the effects of the pandemic and showcase their enthusiasm for growth of the game makes ball hockey a great option for people of all ages,” said Tim McKenzie, President of Canada Ball Hockey.

“As we begin our 2023 Spring / Summer Programming, we want to let people know that there are options to participate for people of every age and demographic in an inclusive and affordable environment,” added McKenzie. With the objective to enhance awareness of Canada Ball Hockey and increase the number of participants across Canada, Canada Ball Hockey has been working in collaboration with Hockey Canada, primarily focused around the upcoming IIHF Women’s World Championship April 5-16
in Brampton, Ontario. Canada Ball Hockey will have a significant presence in the CAA Centre during most days of the Championship and also will be supporting development efforts at the Tim Hortons Community Ball Hockey venue located just outside the CAA Centre.

“We want to acknowledge the opportunities that Hockey Canada and the IIHF have given us to promote our game of ball hockey,” commented McKenzie. “Canada Ball Hockey views the relationship between the ice version of the game and the ever-growing ball hockey version as one that impacts all variations of hockey in a positive manner and gets more and more people involved to participate in whatever form makes the most sense for the participants and their families/loved ones. The IIHF Women’s World Championship in Brampton will be one the largest events we have seen in a while, and the fact that it promotes female sport aligns with many of our objectives.”

In order to make this a national campaign, Canada Ball Hockey canadaballhockey.ca is launching an on-line contest through its social media platforms FACEBOOK: canballhockey, INSTAGRAM: canadaballhockey_official and TWITTER:@CanBallHockey to meet our objectives from coast-to-coast.

The contest will run from April 7, 2023, through to April 16. Eligible contestants can enter to win a number of prizes, including apparel packs from Knapper Canada (an equipment and supplier to
Canada Ball Hockey) and player registration credit towards fees assessed to join recognized ball hockey programs in 2023. In addition, there is an “Early Bird” prize offering to 4 lucky entrants to win
the following:

A. Four tickets to the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship Semi Final # 1.

B. Four Tickets to the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship Semi Final #2.

C. Four Tickets to the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship Bronze Medal Game.

D. Four tickets to the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship Gold Medal Game.

Total prizes have an approximate value of over $4,000.00 CAD.

Details on the contest can be found at www.canadaballhockey.ca, or Click here.

About Canada Ball Hockey

Organized in 1977, Canada Ball Hockey (also known as the Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA)), is a not-for-profit organization, a full member of the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) and an Associate Member of Hockey Canada.

Canada Ball Hockey has 9 members, currently stretching across 8 provinces, with a total of over 40,000 participants of all ages in our programs.

Canada Ball Hockey’s primary roles include to provide common rules, services, and programs to the membership, to oversee and conduct inter-provincial and national competitions / championships, and to represent Canada at all ISBHF activities and oversee the operation of National Teams that represent Canada at ISBHF World Championships.

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For more information,
please contact:

Tim McKenzie

Canada Ball Hockey President

president@cbha.com

March 29, 2023 – (Ottawa, ON) Sport Law is proud to share our commitment to becoming Benefit Corporation (B Corp) certified. By striving for B Corp certification, Sport Law is committed to joining an international network of organizations that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

For Sport Law, working towards certification is about leading the way to shift the system using a values-based approach that aspires to solve social and environmental sustainability challenges. It is also a framework to measure Sport Law’s positive impact on the communities in which we live, work, and play. Sport Law is committed to working towards becoming B Corp certified to understand our impact and identify areas for further improvement.

“We believe in walking the talk with respect to our values. One way to do so is to review our internal processes and approaches to ensure they align with industry-leading practices. Beginning this journey is incredibly important to us as we believe we will be better able to address areas that need improvement and leverage some of our existing strengths. As an added bonus, we’ll be able to share what we learn with our clients,” shared Sport Law Partner, Dina Bell-Laroche.

B Corp certification is built on the vision to create an inclusive economic system and ensure that business brings benefit to all. B Corp’s high standards are measured by the B Impact Assessment, which evaluates a company’s impact on its employees, customers, community, and environment.

March is B Corp month, where organizations celebrate their commitment to think beyond profit. There are over six thousand certified B Corps around the world, including our friends and partners at Respect Group Inc.. We are celebrating B Corp month by making a public commitment to continue our journey to become B Corp certified.

To learn more about becoming B Corp certified, visit www.bcorporation.net/en-us

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About Sport Law

Sport Law has been providing strategic insight to the Canadian sport community since 1992. We offer a full range of consulting, leadership coaching and legal services to the Canadian sport community. We are accessible, affordable, highly skilled, and bring experience and common sense to every project. Our vision is to elevate sport. To learn more about us please visit www.sportlaw.ca.

This presentation will introduce you to diversity and inclusion. It is a starting point to the diversity and inclusion journey. We begin by exploring why this work needs to be undertaken, explore definitions for key terms, frame the idea of the diversity and inclusion journey and provide context about what leaders need to be thinking about and planning for.

Please join us on March 20th @ 12:00pm PDT/3:00pm EDT. Click here to register.