Competitive and High Performance sport
Explore training factors that contribute to podium performances and how to help athletes achieve success and excel in sport. Our resources provide insights on the training and high performance arenas where athletes find competitive success.
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Top 10 resources
- SIRCuit Article: Taking a person-first approach to high performance sport in Canada
- SIRC Article: For or Against? The Pros and Cons of Early Talent Identification in Sport
- Spring SIRCuit 2024: The Transformative Power of Sport
- SIRC Article: The art of breaking: Strength, style, and storytelling
- SIRC Article: Canadian high performance athletes’ use of retirement resources
- Transformative Power of Sport: A Gold Medal Experience with Madison Mailey
- AthletesCAN Sport Solution Clinic
- 2019 Canadian High Performance Sport Strategy
- Mental Health Strategy for High Performance Sport in Canada
- Momentum: A Team Canada Podcast
Featured resource
Maxwell Lattimer and Madison Mailey
Featured resource
Natalie Durand-Bush and Krista Van Slingerland
Quick Facts
What is high-performance sport?
High-performance sport refers to the pursuit of excellence in competitive sports at the national and international levels. It involves athletes, coaches, and support teams striving to achieve peak performance through rigorous training, competition, and a commitment to continual improvement.
How can mental performance be enhanced in competitive sports?
Through techniques like goal setting, visualization, mindfulness, and working with sports psychologists to build resilience, focus, and confidence under pressure.
What factors are important for talent identification in sport?
Talent identification involves recognizing potential athletes based on physical abilities, psychological traits, and sport-specific skills. Factors like age, training environment, and early performance indicators are crucial in identifying future high-performance athletes.
How do varsity sports contribute to high performance sport in Canada?
Varsity sports serve as a key development pathway for high performance athletes, offering competitive opportunities, high-quality coaching, and access to sports science resources, which help athletes transition to national and international competition.
What support services are available for competitive high-performance athletes?
There are a range of support services, including sports psychologists and mental health resources available to athletes that are designed to help optimize training, manage stress, recover from injuries, achieve performance and mental wellbeing. Many sports organizations also offer mentorship and career development support. Canadian athletes may benefit from mental health and wellbeing resources provided by, for example, Game Plan created by the Canadian Olympic Committee, resources available through the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport and Coaching Association of Canada, and Athlete365 offered by the International Olympic Committee.
What is COPSIN?
COPSIN stands for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network. It is a collaborative network of seven high-performance training centres across Canada, designed to provide elite athletes with the resources, facilities, and expertise needed to excel on the world stage. These institutes are located in Victoria, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, and Atlantic Canada. They offer comprehensive support including coaching, sport science, medical services, and athlete development programs.
Video Resources
7B: Expanding Understanding of Motherhood and Sport in Socio-Cultural Context
- Laurentian University and SIRC
- 2022
CFRA Interview – Natasha Johnston, Executive Director at Ringette Canada
- Ringette Canada, SIRC, and Bell Media
- 2019
Transformative Power of Sport: More than just sport
- SIRC
- 2024
Cycling Canada centralizes at the Milton Velodrome
- Cycling Canada and SIRC
- 2015
Canadian Sport Concussion Workshop June 2018 Mercedes Nicoll Long process need patience
- SIRC
- 2018
The 2021 Concussion Virtual Symposium | Le Symposium de 2021 sur les commotions – Athlete’s Voice
- SIRC
- 2021
Knowledge Nuggets
knowledge nuggets
Perfectionism in high performance athletes
Many high-performance athletes scrutinize their own performances and often aim for perfection. A recent study delved into how perfectionistic athletes view success and failure in
Many high-performance athletes scrutinize their own performances and often aim for perfection. A recent study delved into how perfectionistic athletes view success and failure in sports. Through interviews and season-long diaries, researchers found that an athlete’s ability to deal with failure depended on the type of perfectionism they exhibited.
knowledge nuggets
Mental health and performance in elite tennis players
Elite athletes often grapple with keeping their mental health in check while striving for peak performance. Digging into the experiences of Swedish elite tennis players
Elite athletes often grapple with keeping their mental health in check while striving for peak performance. Digging into the experiences of Swedish elite tennis players and exploring how they manage this up and down balancing act of mental health and performance throughout their careers shows the importance of support from sports psychologists.
knowledge nuggets
High intensity training and upper respiratory infection
While physical activity typically strengthens the immune system, high-intensity training can weaken it, leaving some high performance athletes more susceptible to upper respiratory infections. Discover
While physical activity typically strengthens the immune system, high-intensity training can weaken it, leaving some high performance athletes more susceptible to upper respiratory infections. Discover key nutritional strategies to stay healthy and perform at your best!
knowledge nuggets
Mental health problems in elite athletes
Being an elite athlete comes with many stressors throughout training and competition. A study done on various Swedish national teams found that lifetime prevalence of
Being an elite athlete comes with many stressors throughout training and competition. A study done on various Swedish national teams found that lifetime prevalence of mental health problems was reported by more than half of the athletes, with 19.5% of athletes meeting the diagnostic criteria for anxiety and/or depression.
knowledge nuggets
Fostering positive development in elite youth sport
A new review of the academic literature shows that positive engagement and development in elite youth sport hinge on supportive environments, strong relationships, and age-appropriate
A new review of the academic literature shows that positive engagement and development in elite youth sport hinge on supportive environments, strong relationships, and age-appropriate training. Remember, even top performers need developmentally appropriate activities that focus on overall well-being, ensuring they thrive both in and out of sport.
knowledge nuggets
Snow sport injuries
Did you know that professional skiing and snowboarding has an injury incidence rate of 3.49 injuries per 1000 days? Among these injuries, lower extremity injuries
Did you know that professional skiing and snowboarding has an injury incidence rate of 3.49 injuries per 1000 days? Among these injuries, lower extremity injuries are most prevalent, with freestyle skiing exhibiting the highest risk at an alarming 6.83 injuries per 1000 days.
knowledge nuggets
Professional athlete branding through social media
In today’s media landscape, social media is essential for professional athletes to connect with fans. Different post types drive the most engagement, offering potential insights
In today’s media landscape, social media is essential for professional athletes to connect with fans. Different post types drive the most engagement, offering potential insights for professional athletes to amplify their brand and impact across social media platforms.
knowledge nuggets
Body dissatisfaction in gymnasts
In aesthetic sports, athletes often perceive pressure to be thin to maximise performance. A recent study of elite-level gymnasts in Sweden showed a relationship between
In aesthetic sports, athletes often perceive pressure to be thin to maximise performance. A recent study of elite-level gymnasts in Sweden showed a relationship between body dissatisfaction and symptoms of disordered eating over time, suggesting that monitoring of behaviours driven by body dissatisfaction, such as exercising for weight control, is important to identity athletes at risk of developing an eating disorder.
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