News & Features
Athlete Protests, “Rule 50,” and China’s Collision Course with the Beijing Olympics
Posted:“The IOC must be very worried about “the brand,” with a repressive Olympics following so closely on the heels of a pandemic Olympics.”
— Peter Donnelly
What happened in Tokyo? What kind of…
Black women athletes ruptured destructive and limiting beliefs at the Tokyo Olympics
Posted:As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approached, fans around the world struggled to balance their excitement with a general uneasiness surrounding the Games. These included high-profile firings, volunteers…
In wake of COVID-19, U of T researcher finds 'steep decline' in youth participation in sport
Posted:Despite a slight uptick in youth engagement in individual sport and activities such as running, strength training or conditioning, the report found large declines in team and facility-based sports…
Boycotting the next Olympics in Beijing will hurt athletes: Here’s a better idea
Posted:With the Tokyo Olympics coming to an end, human rights activists are expected to step up their campaign against the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in protest against the genocide of the Uyghurs…
Elite athletes more likely to experience mental health disorders: U of T study
Posted:“Athletes face a huge amount of stress and pressure, and have to manage lots of different expectations – especially at the Olympics,” says Zoe Poucher, a graduate student in the Faculty of…
Summer Update on the 2021-22 Academic Year
Posted:Dear KPE students,
I hope this note finds you well, enjoying your summer and staying healthy, active and safe. As public health guidelines related to COVID-19 continue to evolve, I thought it timely…
Olympians in the hot seat: U of T expert on Tokyo temperatures and how athletes can beat the heat
Posted:How do heat and humidity affect athlete performance?
The healthy human body is very sensitive to changes in both internal body temperature as well as air temperature. For example, we have neurons…
'Flexibility and choice' needed for athletic uniforms: U of T's Catherine Sabiston
Posted:What’s your take on this particular uniform regulation?
Regulations for uniforms without any flexibility and choice demonstrate a lack of regard for the athlete’s integrity and sense of self, a…
Sex testing at the Olympics should be abolished once and for all
Posted:Like the proverbial whack-a-mole, the Olympic sex test keeps coming back — with disastrous effects for women athletes across the globe — no matter how many times athletes and human rights’ advocates…
The STEAM Sisters win 2021 Youth Media Alliance Award of Excellence
Posted:An episode featuring Jenni Sidey-Gibbons, an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency, was recently selected as the winner of the 2021 Youth Media Alliance Award of Excellence for Best Program, Short…
The Olympics are ‘on the wrong side of history’ when it comes to free speech: Bruce Kidd in The Conversation
Posted:The advocates include Canadian decathlete Damien Warner, an Olympic bronze medallist in 2016, who has said: “If there’s something on their mind, then athletes should be allowed to speak.” The IOC, he…
Erin Willson wins award for study exploring Canadian youth athletes’ experiences of maltreatment
Posted:The project seeks to understand the prevalence of athlete’s experiences of all forms of harm in Canadian sport, including sexual, physical and emotional, and to explore how race, gender and sexual…