SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.
Team Unbreakable: The transformative power of running for youth mental health
Mental health challenges among Canadian youth are a growing concern. It is estimated that up to 20% of children and youth in Canada, which is more than 1.2 million young individuals, are affected by a mental health disorder. Addressing the mental health needs of these children and youth lays a crucial foundation for their lifelong…
In the realm of youth sports, Canadian Girls Baseball (CGB) stands out as a game-changer. This organization is breaking new ground by creating a welcoming space where girls can thrive in a sport traditionally dominated by boys. Through their innovative...
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...
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...
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...
Over the last 50 years, significant progress has been made in access and opportunities for girls and women to participate at all levels of sport in Canada. Despite this progress, the number of women in coaching remains alarmingly low (Banwell...
The Government of Canada has committed to reaching gender equity in sport (at all levels) by 2035. Right now, we have a long way to go. Over 90% of Canadian sport media coverage is focused solely on men’s sport (Pegoraro...
Ann Pegoraro and Emily Moore, University of Guelph and E-Alliance
Highlights The Government of Canada is committed to achieving gender equity in sport at all levels by 2035. Ongoing research has demonstrated the majority (over 90%) of Canada’s sport’s media coverage is focused solely on men’s sport, and that women and girls...
Alex I McKenzie and Janelle Joseph, University of Toronto
Photo credit: Conestoga College Condors Athletics Highlights Some coaches are the “only” in their organization: the only woman, only racialized person or only racialized woman. Being the “only” relates to feelings of otherness and isolation, threatening coaches’ confidence. Social support...
Christine Cyr, Camille Ménard-Lebel, Vincent Huard Pelletier and Jean Lemoyne, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
It has been almost a quarter of a century since women’s ice hockey debuted at the Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. Despite a heartbreaking loss for Team Canada in the final of the first Olympic women’s hockey competition, it was...
Debra Kriger, Amélie Keyser-Verreault, Janelle Joseph, and Danielle Peers
Equity work often “lets some others join” but still centers on the needs of the most privileged members in a group. To better integrate the experiences and perspectives of diverse individuals, intersectional approaches to policies, programs, and practices—which account for...
