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Articles on Elite athletes

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Athlete stories should prompt a shift in coach behaviour that encourages clarity and resets expectations and boundaries. (Shutterstock)

Fostering a fear-based environment: Coach behaviour needs to change in high-performance sport

Sport organizations have repeatedly come under fire with frequent allegations of toxic culture. This leaves sport practitioners with the question, where do we start? Our answer: The coach.
Fifteen-year-old Russian skater Kamila Valieva reacts after her routine in the women’s free skate program during the 2022 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Would adding a minimum age limit for the Olympic Games protect youth athletes from doping?

Banning young athletes from the Olympics would mean we miss their spectacular performances, but considering all we know about overtraining, exploitation and abuse in sport, that might be OK.
Manuela Schaer of Switzerland, right, and Tatyana McFadden of the United States, second from right, compete in the women’s 1500m wheelchair racing T54 final during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Paralympians still don’t get the kind of media attention they deserve as elite athletes

The media determines how Paralympians are depicted to viewers. What it chooses to focus on can help change attitudes about disability.
US swimmer Michael Andrew has been seen using blood flow restriction training during practice at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. European Pressphoto Agency/ Patrick B. Kraemer

Blood flow restriction training: how Olympians use it to boost performance

Many athletes have been seen strapping cuffs around their muscles during workouts – but does it have any affect on their performance?
Simone Biles’ sponsors, including Athleta and Visa, are lauding her decision to put her mental health first and withdraw from the gymnastics team competition during the Olympics. It’s the latest example of sponsors praising athletes who are increasingly open about mental health issues. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka put the focus on the importance of mental performance for Olympic athletes

Two of the world’s top athletes have raised awareness of mental health issues on the Olympic stage. An Olympian explains why mental training can be as important as physical training.
Canada’s Lisa Roman, Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Christine Roper, Andrea Proske, Susanne Grainger, Madison Mailey, Sydney Payne, Avalon Wasteneys and Kristen Kit celebrate on the podium after winning the gold medal in women’s eight rowing competition at the Tokyo Olympics. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Why women are owning the podium for Canada at the Tokyo Olympics

Canadian women’s success at the Tokyo Games bodes well not only for our future generations of athletes, but for our nation as a whole.
Canada’s Margaret Mac Neil swims to a gold medal in the women’s 100 metre butterfly final during at the Tokyo Olympics. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Record-setting performances at the Tokyo Olympics come after months of pandemic-induced stress

The past 18 months have tested the mental and physical limits of Olympic athletes in their pursuit of the Tokyo Games. That’s what makes the performances during these Olympics even more remarkable.
This May, Olympian bronze medallist Damian Warner set three new Decathlon Bests in 100m, long jump, and 110m hurdles, earning a new Canadian record for overall points. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

How the COVID-19 delay of the Tokyo Olympics helped some athletes break records

Some Olympic athletes have thrived in the year-long delay leading up to the Tokyo Games, using the extra time off to improve their performance and shatter national records.
American sprinter Allyson Felix celebrates with her daughter Camryn after finishing second in the women’s 400-metre race at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on June 20. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Tokyo Olympics will be the Games of all mothers

The Tokyo Games might be the most gender-equal games in history, but many competition barriers still exist for elite athletes who are mothers.

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