True Sport

(Ottawa, ON – January 11, 2021) – Canadian Women & Sport’s “She’s Got It All” campaign highlights the challenges that continue to prevent women and girls from staying in sport. The latest feature highlights how a True Sport approach can help keep women and girls involved in sport.    

One-third of Canadian girls drop out of sport during adolescence, according to the latest data from The Rally Report, presented by Canadian Women & Sport. “She’s Got It All” calls on Canada’s sport community to understand and adapt to the barriers faced by women and girl athletes.

While many people contribute to a girl’s sport experience, parents are one of the primary determinants of whether a child’s sport experience will be positive or negative. Many children cite the ride home after a practice or game as one of their most negative experiences, which is the focus of the True Sport Ride Home campaign. The two campaigns align around the idea that how we talk to our girls about sport contributes to keeping our girls in sport. When a parent commits to True Sport, they adopt an intentional approach to sport that will help them, and their daughters, get the most out of sport.

“Parents and guardians have a huge impact on their daughters’ sport experiences. The ride home after a practice or game is the perfect opportunity to ask how she feels about her activities and to learn about what motivates her,” said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO, Canadian Women & Sport. “Our research clearly shows that we all need to do more to better understand how women and girls experience sport and how to support them in their athletic endeavours.”

“’She’s Got It All’ resonates with me as a mother, an athlete and a sports administrator,” said Karri Dawson, Senior Director of Quality Sport at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. “I have witnessed how positive sport experiences empower girls to become confident young women, but I’ve also seen the flip side. Sometimes well-intentioned parents and caregivers lose sight of what girls love about sport and end up unintentionally driving them to quit. Sport is about the pursuit of personal excellence, but it is also about friendship, learning, health and personal growth. Parents play a key role in maintaining this balance.”

According to The Rally Report, sport participation has a significant impact on how women perceive themselves. Women who participate in sport report greater confidence, physical health and intelligence than those who never participated. For girls, sport is often an important contributor to success in their education, career and community through the development of confidence and resilience.

A Canadian sport and physical activity system that embraces values and is guided by the seven True Sport Principles will empower girls and women – as active participants and leaders – within and through sport.

She’s Got It All

The “She’s Got it All” campaign demonstrates that while women and girls have what it takes to succeed in sport, including talent, drive and determination, they still have to overcome barriers that are typically not present for men. These barriers are not the fault of any one individual but exist because Canada’s current sport system is an environment built for and by men. These barriers are compounded for girls who experience additional discrimination because of their ethnicity, ability, socioeconomic status, gender, or sexual orientation.

Find out what actions you can take to drive change at yourrole.womenandsport.ca.

About True Sport

The True Sport Principles define Canada’s commitment to values-based and principle-driven sport. True Sport is an initiative of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and is designed to give people, communities and organizations the means by which to leverage the many benefits of good sport from a platform of shared values and principles. Learn more at truesport.ca.  

About Canadian Women & Sport

Canadian Women & Sport is dedicated to creating an equitable and inclusive Canadian sport and physical activity system that empowers girls and women—as active participants and leaders—within and through sport. With a focus on systemic change, we partner with sport organizations, governments and leaders to challenge the status quo and build better sport through gender equity.

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For further information, please contact:

Megan Cumming
Manager, Corporate Communications
+1 613-521-9533 x 3233
mcumming@truesportpur.ca

Greer Gemin
Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Canadian Women & Sport
Greer.gemin@womenandsport.ca