Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Virtual and augmented reality can temporarily change the way people perceive distances: Study

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:23:24 +0000

Virtual and augmented reality can temporarily change the way people perceive distances: Study

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/30/2024 - 13:23

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�Թϱ�� researchers found that people moved differently in virtual reality and augmented reality, and that these changes led to temporary movement errors in the real world (photo by D-BASE/Getty Images)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Breaking Research

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Research & Innovation

Virtual Reality

Subheadline

'We wanted to understand if the way our brains and bodies adapt to these digital environments changes how accurately we can move and interact with real objects"

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that using virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) can temporarily change the way people perceive and interact with the real world – with potential implications for the growing number of industries that use these technologies for training purposes.

The study, published recently in the journal Scientific Reports, not only found that people moved differently in VR and AR, but that these changes led to temporary errors in movement in the real world. In particular, participants who used VR tended to undershoot their targets by not reaching far enough, while those who used AR tended to overshoot their targets by reaching too far.

This effect was noticeable immediately after using VR or AR, but gradually disappeared as participants readjusted to real-world conditions.

“Our study explored how using mixed reality (MR) technologies, like virtual reality and augmented reality, affects our ability to perform everyday physical tasks once we return to the real world,” says Xiaoye Michael Wang, a research associate in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education who co-authored the study with Professor Tim Welsh.

“Specifically, we wanted to understand if the way our brains and bodies adapt to these digital environments changes how accurately we can move and interact with real objects after using VR and AR.”

Research associate Xiaoye Michael Wang fits a VR display onto study participant Colin Dolynski (photo by Molly Brillinger)

The researchers say they were surprised by two findings: first, that movement patterns in VR and AR transfer to real-world movements; and second, by how quickly the effects of AR wore off compared to VR, with study participants readjusting to real-world conditions faster after using AR.

The difference between VR and AR, they suggest, might be because people in AR can still see and interact with their actual surroundings, which helps them maintain a more accurate sense of depth and distance.

“These findings are crucial because they highlight a potential challenge in transferring skills learned in VR or AR to the real world,” says Welsh. “As more industries and training programs adopt these technologies for skill development, it's important to understand how they might affect real-world performance.

“For example, this could be relevant for training surgeons, pilots or even everyday skills like driving. Knowing the limitations and effects of VR and AR helps ensure these technologies are used effectively and safely.”

The researchers will next be exploring how different types of VR and AR experiences, like those involving more complex or immersive scenarios, affect real-world performance. They’re also interested in seeing how training duration and individual differences such as prior experience with these technologies, influence adaptation and readjustment.

“This research will help us better understand how to design VR and AR systems that minimize negative after-effects and maximize their potential for training and skill development,” Wang says.

'Etched my name in history': Kylie Masse talks to CBC about winning bronze at Paris Olympics

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 18:13:25 +0000

'Etched my name in history': Kylie Masse talks to CBC about winning bronze at Paris Olympics

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/09/2024 - 14:13

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(photo by Jack Guez/Getty Images)

Topic

Global Lens

Alumni

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Subheadline

�Թϱ�� alumna is the first Canadian swimmer to win an individual medal in three consecutive Olympic Games

With the Paris Games set to wrap up with Sunday's closing ceremony, University of Toronto alumna Kylie Masse says she’s proud to have secured her place in history as the first Canadian swimmer to win an individual Olympic medal in three consecutive Games, CBC reports.

Masse, who graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education in 2019, took home the bronze in the women's 200-metre backstroke final in Paris last week, adding to her impressive medal collection.

Masse first ascended the podium during her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016, clinching bronze in the 100-metre backstroke. She earned both individual and team accolades at the previous Summer Games in Tokyo, capturing silver in the women’s 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke events, alongside a bronze in the women’s 4x100-metre medley relay.

In addition to her third-place win in Paris, Masse also achieved fourth-place finishes in the 100-metre backstroke and 4x100-metre team medley.

"To really be on the podium here was my goal," Masse told CBC. "But it's also such a dream to … know that I've kind of etched my name in history."

Masse was joined by four fellow Varsity Blues alumni at the Summer Games, including badminton star Michelle Li, volleyball player Heather Bansley, and track and field competitors Jazz Shukla and Lucia Stafford.

�Թϱ�� talent will also be on display at the upcoming Paralympic Games, which run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, with former Blues rower Alina Dumas representing Brazil as the coxswain of its PR3 coxed four crew.

�Թϱ�� community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:18:06 +0000

�Թϱ�� community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 07/23/2024 - 09:18

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(L-R) Former �Թϱ�� Varsity Blues athletes Heather Bansley, Michelle Li, Kylie Masse, Lucia Stafford and Jazz Shukla will be competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (photos by Essene Hernandez/Eyepix Group/LightRocket/Getty Images, Shi Tang/Getty Images, Al Bello/Getty Images, Andy Astfalck/BSR Agency/Getty Images, MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Jill Clark

Topic

Global Lens

Athletes

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Olympics

Varsity Blues

Subheadline

From swimming to track, volleyball and badminton, several former Varsity Blues athletes will head to the Games alongside key staff members

Five former Blues athletes have qualified to represent Canada at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games this summer – and will be joined in host city Paris by several University of Toronto staff and community members.

Four-time Olympic medalist Kylie Masse has been named a co-captain of the Canadian swimming team at the Games, which take place July 26 to Aug. 11, while former Blues badminton star Michelle Li is set to make her fourth Olympic appearance and beach volleyball player Heather Bansley qualified for her third straight Summer Games.

Track and field alumnae Jazz Shukla and Lucia Stafford are off to their first and second Games, respectively.

Meanwhile, at the Paralympic Games, which take place Aug. 28 to Sept. 8., former Varsity Blues rower Alina Dumas is set to represent Brazil as coxswain of its PR3 coxed four crew.

The athletes will be joined in Paris by several �Թϱ�� staff members and alumni.

Byron MacDonald, who enters his 47th season as Varsity Blues swimming head coach this September, heads to his 10th Olympic Games as a broadcaster, while assistant head coach Linda Kiefer heads to her sixth Olympic Games as a swimming coach. Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) alumnus and �Թϱ�� staff member Ron Castro was also named a massage therapist to the Canadian swimming team.

Former Varsity Blues volleyball player and head coach Ed Drakich is set for his fifth Olympic Games as a volleyball technical official. He also represented Canada as an athlete in 1996.

Jane Thornton, Team Canada’s chief medical officer, earned her Doctor of Medicine from �Թϱ��’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine in 2014.

Here’s a brief snapshot of the �Թϱ�� community members who will be representing Canada as the Games get underway later this week:

Kylie Masse reacts after competing in the final of the women's 200m backstroke at the Canada Olympic & Paralympic Swimming Trials at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on May 16, 2024 (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Kylie Masse – Swimming

A member of the Varsity Blues swimming team from 2014-2019, Masse has already put together a lengthy career full of highlights ahead of a third Olympic appearance.

She claimed her first Olympic medal at the 2016 Rio Games, earning bronze in the 100-metre backstroke. She then set a new world record while winning the 100-metre backstroke at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest.

Masse would go on to defend her 100-metre backstroke world championship at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, propelling her to a three-medal performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where she took silver in both the 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke events, and added a bronze as part of Canada’s 4x100m medley relay.

During her time with the Varsity Blues, Masse went undefeated at five consecutive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships without losing an individual or relay race. The five-time OUA female swimmer of the year, five-time OUA first team all-star and the 2015 OUA female rookie of the year also twice won the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi award for individual medley excellence and earned major grand slams in all three backstroke events.

Michelle Li poses during the medal presentation ceremony for the women's singles gold medal badminton match during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England (Photo by Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

Michelle Li – Badminton

Competing with the Varsity Blues badminton team during both the 2009-2010 and 2012-2013 seasons, Li is appearing at her fourth Olympic Games.

She made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, competing in both the women’s singles and doubles events, earning an impressive fourth place result with her partner Alexandra Bruce. She then went on to qualify for both the 2016 Rio Games and 2020 Tokyo Games in the women’s singles, achieving a top 10 finish at the latter.

Among the most successful Canadian female badminton players ever, Li is a six-time Pan American Championships singles gold medalist and the first Canadian woman to win singles gold at the Commonwealth Games.

At �Թϱ��, Li helped the Varsity Blues to their first OUA championship title in 10 years, earning OUA female MVP and OUA all-star honours during the 2012-13 campaign. In that season she won both the OUA and Canadian university women’s singles titles, while partnering with Grace Gao to win the women’s doubles titles.

(L-R) Gold medalists Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec of Team Canada pose for photos after the women's final match of the NORCECA Olympic Beach Volleyball Qualification Tournament (photo by Essene Hernandez/Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Heather Bansley – Beach Volleyball

A former Varsity Blues student-athlete between 2005-2010 and assistant coach during the 2021-22 season, Bansley is now getting set to head to her third Olympic Games as a member of Team Canada.

Considered among the best defensive players in the world, she previously competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2016 Rio Games with partner Brandie Wilkerson, placing fifth overall at both international showcases. Bansley has been a dominant player throughout her career on the FIVB beach volleyball world tour, winning the world's best defender honour three times (2018, 2016 and 2015). In 2018, she and Wilkerson reached the No. 1 ranking in the world.

While a student-athlete at �Թϱ��, Bansley was a two-time all-Canadian who finished first on the OUA and U SPORTS leader board in points, kills and serving aces per set during the 2009-2010 season. She helped lead the Blues to a provincial title and a spot in the U SPORTS national championship.

Lucia Stafford reacts during the women's 1500m heats at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 2, 2021 (photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Lucia Stafford – Track and Field

An alumna of the Varsity Blues track and field and cross country teams between 2016-2020, Stafford will be heading to her second Olympic Games after winning her third Canadian women’s 1500-metre title. A semifinalist at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Stafford recently set a new Canadian record in the women’s 2000-metre in her Diamond League debut, breaking the previous mark set 30 years ago by Angela Chalmers.

While with the Blues, Stafford was named both �Թϱ��’s T-Holders’ female athlete of the year and the OUA female athlete of the year across all sports in her senior season. She earned individual OUA and U SPORTS gold medals, an OUA silver with the women’s cross country team, nine provincial medals and 10 national medals with the track and field team across her four seasons of competition.

Jazz Shukla prepares for the start of the women's 800m semi-final heat three during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Aug. 25, 2023 (photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Jazz Shukla – Track and Field

A Varsity Blues track and field and cross country athlete between 2016 and 2022, Shukla qualified for her first Olympic Games after winning the Canadian women’s 800-metre title. After a steady ascent up the rankings since graduating from �Թϱ��, her 1:58.20 time at the Canadian Olympic trials marked the second fastest trials time in North America.

Since jumping back into competition in the 800-metre event in 2022, Shukla has continued to improve her time with each outing. She most recently competed at the 2023 Canadian National Championships, 2023 World Championships and 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Shukla’s time at �Թϱ�� coincided with impressive results and recognition. With the cross country team, she earned U SPORTS first team all-Canadian and OUA first team all-star honours in 2021.

Incoming �Թϱ�� post-doc to research how body image affects sport participation

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 14:47:35 +0000

Incoming �Թϱ�� post-doc to research how body image affects sport participation

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 07/11/2024 - 10:47

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A recipient of a Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship, Chelsi Ricketts is passionate about promoting inclusive sport and physical activity environments for all (supplied image)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Research & Innovation

Subheadline

Chelsi Ricketts will carry out her research at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education's Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre

For Chelsi Ricketts, research on body image is a scholarly interest borne out of personal experiences. She participated in track, her brother is a collegiate athlete and her father was a competitive bodybuilder.

“Growing up, I was fascinated by my father's drive and discipline in the pursuit of muscularity and my brother's effortless prowess in the triple jump,” says Ricketts. “These experiences made me more aware of the incredible functions one's body can perform when engaged in sport and physical activity, increasing the likelihood of developing a positive body image.”

But Ricketts knows all too well that not everybody appreciates their body’s potential in sport settings – she dropped out of sport in high school due to body image concerns. As a researcher, she now strives to promote inclusive and welcoming sport and physical activity environments for all, regardless of body shape, size or weight.

Rickets is a recipient of the University of Toronto’s 2024 Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, an annual fellowship program provides funding to support the hiring of post-doctoral fellows from under-represented groups, specifically Indigenous and/or Black researchers. She will work with Professor Catherine Sabiston in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) to explore how sex and gender intersect with body size, shape and weight diversity to influence sport participation among Canadian girls.

This qualitative research will inform the initial phase of a quantitative study that will identify key research priorities for understanding and addressing body shape and weight diversity in Canadian youth sports. The findings will also be integrated with data from a larger grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to explain how intersecting identities impact sport participation.

“I am thrilled to join �Թϱ��'s dynamic research community, grow my scholarly profile and foster meaningful connections,” says Ricketts. “I was also drawn to this project because of the critical lens through which it will examine and address these issues.”

Ricketts says she’s passionate about work that amplifies the voices of under-represented groups and challenges inequities. “This is especially significant to me as a woman of Afro-Caribbean descent, a group historically under-represented in scholarly discourse.”

For her PhD dissertation in the department of kinesiology at Michigan State University, Ricketts examined the role of positive body image in the sport confidence and performance of Jamaican and Botswanan athletes.

The project aimed to understand the adaptive aspects of athlete body image and their implications for positive sport experiences and outcomes. Additionally, it sought to foster interconnectedness between two under-studied populations to offer transferable insights for promoting positive outcomes and experiences.

“A key takeaway was the potential to enhance sport confidence and performance among Jamaican and Botswanan athletes by fostering appreciation for their body's form and functionality,” says Ricketts. “When athletes value their bodies and their capabilities, they can approach their sport with greater confidence, leading to improved performance.”

Ricketts says she’s long been impressed by the research produced in Sabiston’s Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre. “Working with her offers unparalleled training opportunities and I look forward to immersing myself in a field of research that I am deeply passionate about.”

Sabiston notes she was aware of Ricketts’ promise as a researcher before she applied for the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, even inviting her to lab meetings. “Chelsi presented at the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity annual conference [in June] and after her presentation, I had many people come up to me and suggest I approach her for a post-doctoral fellowship,” says Sabiston, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Mental Health. “I made a lot of sport and exercise psychology colleagues happy when I acknowledged we have already connected.

“Chelsi’s experience in global research specific to body image and sport performance and participation and her expertise in cross-cultural research and partnerships will be valuable for helping me lead specific research aims within the SSHRC Partnership Grant-funded Rethink Sport Project.”

As for Ricketts, she says she is grateful to Sabiston and KPE for the opportunity. “Collaborating with scholars who share my research interests is invigorating, and there is no better city for this experience than Toronto,” says Ricketts, who visited the city for the first time last summer. “As a Jamaican, I find comfort in the fact that in Toronto, I will have opportunities to connect with other Jamaican communities and enjoy authentic Jamaican music and cuisine.”

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 17:19:55 +0000

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 07/09/2024 - 13:19

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Canadian federal funding in sport is associated with more medals for Olympians like Andre DeGrasse, gold medalist in the men's 200-metre sprint at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and reduced participation in sport among recreational athletes, according to �Թϱ�� researchers (photo by Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Breaking Research

Centre for Sport Policy Studies

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Olympics

Research & Innovation

Sports

Subheadline

A research report from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Public Education examines the relationship between federal funding, Olympic success and participation in sports

Federal funding for sport is associated with Canadian athletes winning more Olympic medals – but this comes at the cost of reduced participation in grassroots recreational and competitive sport.

That’s according to a report from the Centre for Sport Policy Studies at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education that delves into the relationship between high-performance sport and grassroot participation.

The research calls into question the notion that funding of high-performance sport – and resulting success of elite athletes on the world stage – has a “trickle-down” effect by inspiring people to participate in sport and physical activity.

“We do not dispute that excellent performances by national athletes are inspirational. However, the effect of inspiration on increasing participation is far less clear,” says Peter Donnelly, a professor emeritus of sport policy and politics at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, who co-authored the report with Bruce Kidd, professor emeritus of sport and public policy and former Olympian.

The researchers argue that inspiration is not enough to break down the barriers that prevent many young people from participating in sport. “Family income, gender/sexuality, (dis)ability, geographical location and other factors can all, individually and in combination, have an enabling or a constraining effect on the possibilities of participating in organized sports,” says Kidd.

The researchers used data on sport participation, Sport Canada’s annual budgets and statistics on Olympics medals won by Canadian athletes since 1988 to examine the relationships between participation in sports, funding and Olympic successes.

“Prior to 1970, the federal government tried to invest in high-performance sport, broadly based participation and physical education in equal measure, and made multi-year shared-cost grants to the provinces and territories to assist with broad-based participation,” says Kidd. “In 1970, it established Sport Canada with a high-performance mandate and unilaterally withdrew from its support of provincial and territorial programs.”

This led to an ongoing decline in participation in organized, competitive sport among Canadians over 15 years of age – from 44 per cent in 1990 to around 27 per cent today.

While there are other factors that can help to explain this decline, including an aging population and rising costs of participation, the researchers point to shifting federal priorities and the structure of Canadian sport policy as the reasons for increased investments in international sport success and decreased investments in grassroots participation.

“Data in other countries show a similar pattern – more money means more medals, and medals cost a lot,” says Donnelly.

In the 16 years since the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Sport Canada budget has more than doubled, now sitting at more than a quarter of a billion dollars each year, according to the report.

”As other countries in the ‘sporting arms race’ increase their budgets and expectations, it will cost more and more money just to stay in the same place in the Olympic medal table,” says Donnelly.

“This has the potential to distort a national sport system in two ways: First, most funding is directed to those sports where national sport leaders see the greatest chance of being able to win medals; and second, the vast majority of government funding for sport tends to go to high-performance sport.”

The researchers offer the following solutions in their report:

Survey national, provincial and territorial sport organizations to determine their capacity to incorporate new participants.
Develop an ‘open house’ strategy during and immediately following major Games for the public to try out different sports, with coaches, athletes and – where possible – former Olympians present to talk about their sports.
Target children and youth; low-income individuals; Indigenous, ethnocultural and immigrant communities; and, for certain sports, persons with a disability and older individuals looking for a form of physical activity.
Re-invigorate school physical education programs, intramural and extracurricular sports; engage coalitions of sport organizations in offering free basic skills development programs for those past school age.
Ensure widespread publicity for the participation initiatives.
Develop a clear subsequent use policy for major Games facilities that includes grassroots participation, similar to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, jointly managed by the City of Toronto and �Թϱ��.
Develop an evaluation strategy to determine the success of participation initiatives introduced in association with major Games.

The researchers say they are encouraged by the recent announcement by Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s minister of sport and physical activity, that she will review the Canadian sport system and recommend options for reform.

“People may be inspired by the achievements of high-performance athletes,” says Donnelly. “However, if the material and structural conditions of participation are the same after the Games as they were before, then all the claims of a legacy of increased participation become empty promises.”

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives �Թϱ�� honorary degree

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 20:04:17 +0000

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives �Թϱ�� honorary degree Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 06/06/2024 - 16:04

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(photo by Steve Frost)

Scott Anderson

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Faculty of Information

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Honorary Degree

Indigenous

Truth and Reconciliation

As a youth, Wilton Littlechild, like so many Indigenous children, was removed from his home and sent to a nearby residential school. Since then, he has devoted much of his life to helping others overcome the legacy of this experience and promoting respect and justice for Indigenous Peoples in Canada and around the world.

Today, in recognition of his inspirational and transformative advocacy for Indigenous rights and human rights, Littlechild will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the University of Toronto.

Born in Hobbema, Alta. (now Maskwacis) in 1944, Littlechild was initially raised by his grandparents in the Ermineskin Cree Nation and taught the traditional ways of the Cree people. At the age of six, he was taken from his family and placed at a nearby residential school; he later attended others. In an interview with Cultural Survival, he recalled the physical abuse he experienced at the schools and the trauma of being separated from family.

“Your family bond, if not broken, is really stretched to the limit,” he said.

At school, he wasn’t allowed to speak his own language or practise his own culture. “They were outlawed completely,” he said. Nor was he permitted to see his siblings, even though they attended the same school.

To escape this grim reality, he started jogging – several kilometres around the school compound – every night. “I didn’t know why I was doing it and often times I’d break down and cry, but after I finished the run, I would feel better,” he said at an event last year at �Թϱ��’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. “Sport became my escape and my salvation … it gave me an opportunity to go to university and play, to compete and travel the world.”

(photo by Steve Frost)

Littlechild came to believe so strongly in the power of sport for personal advancement that he founded and coached the first all-Indigenous junior hockey team in Alberta, and helped establish the North American Indigenous Games and, later, the World Indigenous Games. “Finding that balance between looking after your physical health and your mental health, and being proud of who you are culturally, provides a wholesome foundation for life,” he said.

Littlechild excelled at hockey, swimming and baseball. At the University of Alberta, he swam competitively and played on the hockey team, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1967. He went on to get a master’s in the subject and then enrolled at law school, becoming the first status Indian from Alberta ever to earn a degree in law in 1976.

After graduating, Littlechild established a law practice on Ermineskin reserve and in 1977 was invited to be part of the Indigenous delegation that contributed to the writing of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

That experience marked the beginning of a lifetime of advocacy for Indigenous rights in Canada and around the world. In 1981, he appeared before British courts to make a case against patriating the Canadian constitution until it included guarantees of Indigenous rights.

He decided to run for federal office, and in 1988 was elected as a Progressive Conservative in the riding of Wetaskiwin, Alta, becoming the first MP ever to hold Treaty Indian status. Years later, in Saskatchewan, he chaired a commission to investigate and make recommendations about the treatment of First Nations and Métis people by that province’s police and justice system. Its final report, issued in 2004, made more than 100 recommendations to address systemic racism against Indigenous people.

Not long after, Littlechild was named a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Its final report, released in 2015, argued that the residential school program had resulted in cultural genocide. It made 94 Calls to Action. At the time, he told Cultural Survival that he saw the role as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to building a better Canada – one that is inclusive of everyone.”

In the Cree language, “reconciliation” is called Miyowahkotowin, which translates as “having good relations.” Sometimes, Littlechild said in the same interview, that means letting go of a bad experience and practising forgiveness. “There needs to be the truth, an apology, forgiveness and a sense of justice. Then we can talk about true reconciliation.”

For his advocacy for Indigenous rights and the advancement of Indigenous peoples, Littlechild has received numerous awards. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and was promoted to companion in 2023. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and an Indspire Award for law and justice. In 2018, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

With PhD in hand, �Թϱ�� grad and former Olympian aims to tackle athlete abuse

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 16:28:49 +0000

With PhD in hand, �Թϱ�� grad and former Olympian aims to tackle athlete abuse

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/05/2024 - 12:28

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Erin Willson, who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games with Team Canada, is graduating with a PhD from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (photo by Hannah Kiviranta)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Olympics

Subheadline

Erin Willson, a former synchronized swimmer with Team Canada, researched positive coaching styles for her doctoral dissertation

Erin Willson was a synchronized swimmer for 14 years – half of which were spent as a member of Team Canada, including competing in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Yet, despite her triumphs, Willson's long career at the pinnacle of her sport also caused her to realize just how many athletes experienced emotional abuse, and how little awareness there was around the issue.

“There was some conversation about sexual abuse, but notably, experiences of body shaming and emotional abuse were missing,” says Willson, who is graduating with a PhD from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) this spring.

“This was important to me because I had known from my experience – and the experiences of other athletes that I had spoken with – that emotional abuse can have a lot of really negative effects, but these were being ignored or dismissed as ‘part of sport.’”

When Willson began weighing up options for graduate school, she was drawn to KPE due to the research being done by Professor Gretchen Kerr and Associate Professor Ashley Stirling – dean and vice-dean, respectively – on emotional abuse and body image issues in sport.

Willson says few people were talking about abuse in sport at the time, and the work of Kerr and Stirling resonated with her due to her own experiences. She decided she wanted to contribute to increasing our understanding of athlete abuse as well as shed light on positive coaching approaches.

“As cliché as it sounds, I knew I couldn't change my own experience, but hoped I could change the experiences of future generations so that other athletes would not have to go through what I did to reach their goals,” says Willson.

Her doctoral research took a positive approach to addressing maltreatment in sport. While increased attention to the issue has led to the implementation of codes of conduct and new mechanisms for reporting and investigating abuse, Willson identified an important gap in research and practice.

“Something that’s been missing is teaching coaches and sport organizations what to do instead of focusing on what not to do,” says Willson. “A common reason we've heard from coaches who are hesitant to adopt more positive coaching methods is that they don't elicit performance results like abusive tactics do.”

For her dissertation, Willson interviewed Olympic and Paralympic medalists and their coaches who had a positive sport experience to provide evidence that positive coaching styles elicit performance and to outline what positive coaching can look like.

She says the biggest challenge she faced was the intensity of the subject matter she was studying. “I felt this especially when my personal story of what I had experienced as an athlete became public,” says Willson, noting she was “really lucky” to have the support of friends, family and her supervisor.

Willson said she also received plenty of support for her advocacy. For the past three years, she has been the president of AthletesCAN, and has advocated for athletes on issues like safe sport, representation and funding. “While I have been very fortunate to be able to pursue multiple passions at once, at times, it was difficult to balance both interests,” says Willson. “I was very fortunate to have the support of my supervisor and the faculty of KPE, who supported and celebrated the work that I was doing in both areas.”

Her research-to-practice approach was also encouraged through a Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowship, which supports public scholarship. With the help of the fellowship, Willson travelled to several international conferences and completed a month-long seminar at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece – the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games.

Willson is conducting post-doctoral research with Kerr in KPE’s Safe Sport lab, where she’s working with the Coaching Association of Canada to translate her dissertation data into a practical toolkit for coaches. This summer, she started teaching an undergraduate course on maltreatment in youth sport.

“It’s an exciting time for women's sports in Canada, which aligns with my research interests of gender-based violence and gender-equity as a solution to violence, so I can see myself being involved in this, either through research, practice or a combination of the two in the near future,” says Willson.

Reflecting on her time thus far at KPE, Willson credits her supervisor Kerr and committee members Stirling and Professor Emeritus Bruce Kidd for creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment.

Her biggest piece of advice for students interested in following in her footsteps? Pursue your passion.

“Graduate school can be really difficult, but if you're passionate about what you're doing, it makes it so much easier,” she says. “Even on the hardest days, I always woke up feeling so grateful that I got to do something that I loved.”

�Թϱ�� holds flag-raising ceremonies across its three campuses to mark start of Pride Month

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 20:21:00 +0000

�Թϱ�� holds flag-raising ceremonies across its three campuses to mark start of Pride Month

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 06/04/2024 - 16:21

Cutline

(photos by Nick Iwanyshyn, Don Campbell and XiaoXiao)

Jelena Damjanovic

Don Campbell

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Subheadline

"Let us celebrate the progress we have made while acknowledging the work that still lies ahead"

Flags have been raised across the University of Toronto’s three campuses to mark the start of Pride month.

At the St. George campus, the Progress Pride flag was hoisted above Varsity Stadium during an event hosted by the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) and the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office.

Gretchen Kerr, dean of KPE, welcomed guests at the event and noted that June is also the start of National Indigenous History Month – a reminder that fighting for 2SLGBTQ+ rights also means fighting for an end to all forms of oppression. “I’m old enough to remember the Toronto bathhouse raids in 1981 and the violence exerted against the 2SLGBTQ+ community. We’ve made progress since then, but we can’t take our feet off the gas pedal,” Kerr said.

"Raising the Progress Pride flag today at �Թϱ�� is essentially important as we mark Pride within the context of our ongoing efforts to address many systems of oppression, discrimination, and harassment,” said Jodie Glean-Mitchell, �Թϱ��'s executive director of equity, diversity and inclusion.

"Pride Month is a time to celebrate the contributions that 2SLGBTQ+ people and communities have made – and continue to make – across the university. It is a time to educate ourselves on the past and present lived experience of queer and trans people. Most importantly it's a time to push back, a time for resistance... There is purpose in us being here. We have work to do. But we can only do it together."

At �Թϱ�� Scarborough, the More Colour, More Pride and Trans Pride flags were raised to mark the beginning of Pride Month.

“Each of us will choose to mark this day in different ways,” said Cherilyn Scobie Edwards, senior director of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office (EDIO) at �Թϱ�� Scarborough.

Left: �Թϱ�� Scarborough community members gather to mark the start of Pride Month. Right: Cherilyn Scobie Edwards, senior director of equity, diversity and inclusion, delivers remarks (photos by Don Campbell)

Edwards noted that not everyone has the privilege of being able to celebrate Pride. “It is my hope that today we continue to note that the struggle for freedom and acceptance has not ended and that the fight for true freedom continues,” she said.

Professor Linda Johnston, acting vice-president of �Թϱ�� and principal of �Թϱ�� Scarborough, and Diana Pearson, equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator with the EDIO, also offered remarks.

The ceremony was followed by a courtyard celebration in front of the Arts and Administration Building featuring snow cones, a Pride balloon display, interactive floral mural and a welcome table set up by the Positive Space Committee.

Pride flags were also raised at �Թϱ�� Mississauga last week.

The Progress Pride flag is raised at �Թϱ�� Mississauga (photos by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Back at Varsity Stadium, Jasmine Lew, a kinesiology major and track-and-field athlete who was nominated by their peers as the 2SLGBTQ+ community impact honouree, said the raising of the Progress Pride flag is a deeply meaningful moment. “Let us celebrate the progress we have made while acknowledging the work that still lies ahead,” said Lew, “and let us recommit ourselves to building safe and brave spaces that empowers us to love who we love and live authentically.”

Wrapping up the event, Terry Gardiner, KPE’s director of equity, diversity and inclusion, said the raising of the Pride flag represents “a rallying call for all of us, as a community, to continue to work together to bring to life our vision of truly inclusive societies for everyone, everywhere.”

Warming up: �Թϱ�� researcher explores the impact of climate change on sports

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 01 May 2024 15:22:38 +0000

Warming up: �Թϱ�� researcher explores the impact of climate change on sports

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:22

Cutline

(photo by Sebastian Gollnow via Getty Images)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Sports

Sustainability

Subheadline

In her new book, sport ecologist Madeleine Orr explores how everything from sweltering heat to unpredictable winter weather is affecting sports - and how the sporting world itself is contributing to the changes

In 2019, a world championship marathon in Doha was scheduled at midnight to avoid the blistering sun. That same year, athletes at the Rugby World Cup in Japan waded through knee-high water to reach the pitch after Typhoon Hagibis dropped 240 mm of water over Tokyo – the wettest storm on record in Japan.

From no-snow winters to sweltering summer heat, the sporting world is feeling the effects of climate hazards and a slew of health, business and performance risks are going unaddressed, says sport ecologist Madeleine Orr, an assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).

(photo by Selena Phillips-Boyle)

In her book Warming up: How Climate Change is Changing Sport, Orr shares stories of athletes, teams and events that have been directly affected by climate hazards, explores the impact of sport on the planet and suggests actions the sport sector can take to adapt.

Writer Jelena Damjanovic recently sat down with Orr – who will be at a book launch at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on May 9 – to chat about her book, research and how she maintains her optimism in the climate fight.

What drew you to this area of research?

There are many ways to become a sport ecologist. Some enter [the field] through the sport sciences side – kinesiology, physiology, coaching – others begin in natural resource science, environmental studies, hydrology or climatology, and then find their way to sport as the topic.

My training combined a bit of both and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to study across different faculties when I was in graduate school to learn how to read, interpret and develop climate models, and also how to measure the impacts of different climate hazards like extreme heat, humidity or wildfire on athletes’ health and performance, and the business side of sports.

How is climate change changing sport, directly and indirectly?

I spend about 200 pages of my book answering that question – but if I had to split it into a few buckets, it would be that: extreme heat is impacting athlete health and performance, and the well-being of everybody else around sport, including coaches, referees and fans; drought and floods are creating unstable and sometimes unhealthy playing surfaces in different parts of the world; wildfires are wreaking havoc on air pollution across huge swaths of land even far from the flames; and winters are getting shorter and less predictable due to climate change – so winter sports are suffering.

Climate change is important to think about in the context of sport because every single sport is dependent on clean air, clean water and a safe place to play. When climate hazards crop up, they can lead to cancelations, delays, damages, health issues and, in worst-case-scenarios, death for athletes.

Is sport itself contributing negatively to the environment?

Sport – especially at the elite and professional levels – is organized geographically and based on inter-regional and international travel. The business model of sport is based on tourism: the teams and events want people to come in from out of town, or to spend money at restaurants and other hospitality offerings near the venue. So, when lots of people – teams, referees, media and fans – move around, it creates a pretty significant carbon footprint.

And in another sense, sport produces a lot of waste. Think of how many sports products are made from carbon fibre, just to name one example. It’s in our hockey sticks, bikes, bats, boats, skis, racquets, nets and the list goes on. It’s a great product because it’s strong and light, but it’s also not recyclable, so once a piece of carbon fibre equipment gets even a tiny crack, it becomes unplayable and in the case of bikes or boats, it has to be retired immediately for safety reasons.

Another example is sports gear. Think of all the clothing and shoes that we buy to support our sport practices – most of it is made from polyester because it wicks sweat. But it’s also made from plastic and is very hard to recycle, even if the product you buy says, “Made from recycled materials.” Polyester can generally be recycled once and then it starts becoming tricky to do it again as the quality of the material degenerates. All this to say, sport produces a lot of stuff that can't be recycled or reused, and that’s a huge source of waste.

How can sport organizations, managers, coaches, athletes and fans mitigate the risks associated with climate change and reduce their own environmental footprint?

That's a huge question, and I spent a lot of pages on this in the book. The first big thing is that we have to put safety first and adopt policies and emergency protocols that keep athletes – and staff, coaches, fans, volunteers – safe when they’re playing sport in unsafe conditions like extreme heat or wildfire smoke. The other piece will be to adapt our facilities and our schedules to avoid the worst of the climate hazards.

Reducing the environmental footprint usually has to do with reducing travel, whether it’s carpooling to practices with other kids on your team or taking public transit to pro sport events when you go to watch. But there are lots of other things individuals and sport organizations can do with regards to reuse and recycling that I discuss in the book as well.

How do you maintain your optimism?

I don’t think we can afford not to change. We just have to. And I’m under no illusion that sport – especially pro and elite sport – is going to be the first mover on this, but this sector does have a huge platform and potential to inspire not only fans who follow, but all of its supply chains. When sport has used that platform in the past, it’s ignited major public conversations about issues like gender equity –think of Billie Jean King or the more recent work of women’s soccer teams. And racial injustice – think the 2020 Black Lives Matter boycotts and before that Colin Kaepernick, and before that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Sport has a rich history of drawing attention to big debates and discussions. And I think we can do that again with climate change.

Finally, how do you respond to people who say to athlete activists to “stay in their lane?”

There are always going to be trolls and haters. I say ignore them. George Monbiot, an environment reporter for The Guardian, once said, “We are hypocrites. Every one of us, almost by definition. Hypocrisy is the gap between your aspirations and your actions.” And that resonates with me. I try to remind athletes or other activists that nobody would pass a purity test on climate action: we’ve all got a carbon footprint and we all have agency to make some choices that are more sustainable, but not all choices – because some are expensive and some are just out of our control. So, let yourself off the hook of being perfect, continue to communicate your concerns to the world and ignore the trolls.

Read the full interview at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

�Թϱ�� to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 17:32:56 +0000

�Թϱ�� to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 03/20/2024 - 13:32

Cutline

(photo by Polina Teif)

Adina Bresge

Topic

Our Community

Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office

Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre

Diversity and Inclusion

IDERD

Equity

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Hart House

School of Continuing Studies

Sexual & Gender Diversity Office

�Թϱ�� Mississauga

�Թϱ�� Scarborough

The University of Toronto is bringing together perspectives from across the tri-campus community to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD).

Established by the United Nations, IDERD is observed on March 21, the day that in 1960, police opened fire on a group of peaceful protesters in Sharpeville, South Africa, killing 69 people.

�Թϱ�� recognizes IDERD annually as part of its ongoing commitment to eliminating racial discrimination and racism across the university while promoting a more inclusive learning and working environment.

Presented by the Institutional Equity Office and the Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office in collaboration with the Rotman School of Management’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office, this year’s event – Faith, Hope and Dialogue: Strengthening Anti-Racism Tools and Strategies for the Path Ahead – will be held in Rotman’s Desautels Hall and broadcast via livestream.

Nythalah Baker, director of �Թϱ�� Mississauga’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office, and Natasha Prashad, adviser in the Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office, will emcee the proceedings, which are set to open with remarks from Jodie Glean-Mitchell, executive director, equity, diversity and inclusion in �Թϱ��’s Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture.

Glean-Mitchell is also scheduled to speak on a panel about the challenges and opportunities of navigating EDI work alongside Allison Burgess, director of �Թϱ��’s Sexual & Gender Diversity Office, Bharat Saini, director, equity, diversity and inclusion in the Faculty of Arts & Science, and Angela Treglia, executive director, sexual violence strategy, prevention and support at the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre. The discussion will be moderated by Alexie Tcheuyap, associate vice-president and vice-provost, international student experience.

Later, Cherilyn Scobie Edwards, senior director of �Թϱ�� Scarborough’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office, will moderate a discussion featuring the perspectives and reflections of Black women in leadership. Panellists include Catherine Chandler-Crichlow, dean of the School of Continuing Studies, Sharon Grandison, director of human resources in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, Janelle Joseph, assistant professor of critical studies of race and Indigeneity at KPE, and Lesa Williams-George, director of equity, inclusion and transformative practices at Victoria College.

There will also be a panel on enhancing community strategies to address anti-Asian racism on campus moderated by Loretta Ho, program and faculty development consultant in the Division of the Vice-President and Vice-Provost. The panellists include Vikram Chadalawada, director, IT strategy, innovations and digital transformation at Student Life, Joyce Hahn, chief administrative officer in the Division of the Vice-President & Provost, David Kim, warden at Hart House, and Afsana Miah, vice-president, academics and student affairs in the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union at �Թϱ�� Scarborough.

Art therapist and psychotherapist Phuong Nguyen will close out the proceedings with art-centred activities that centre hope, restoration and care.

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Virtual and augmented reality can temporarily change the way people perceive distances: Study

'Etched my name in history': Kylie Masse talks to CBC about winning bronze at Paris Olympics

Read more about Kylie Masse at CBC

�Թϱ�� community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

Kylie Masse – Swimming

Michelle Li – Badminton

Heather Bansley – Beach Volleyball

Lucia Stafford – Track and Field

Jazz Shukla – Track and Field

Incoming �Թϱ�� post-doc to research how body image affects sport participation

Read more about the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives �Թϱ�� honorary degree

With PhD in hand, �Թϱ�� grad and former Olympian aims to tackle athlete abuse

�Թϱ�� holds flag-raising ceremonies across its three campuses to mark start of Pride Month

Warming up: �Թϱ�� researcher explores the impact of climate change on sports

Read the full interview at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

�Թϱ�� to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Virtual and augmented reality can temporarily change the way people perceive distances: Study

'Etched my name in history': Kylie Masse talks to CBC about winning bronze at Paris Olympics

Read more about Kylie Masse at CBC

�Թϱ��� community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

Kylie Masse – Swimming

Michelle Li – Badminton

Heather Bansley – Beach Volleyball

Lucia Stafford – Track and Field

Jazz Shukla – Track and Field

Incoming �Թϱ��� post-doc to research how body image affects sport participation

Read more about the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Federal funding linked to more medals for Canadian Olympians – but less participation in grassroots sport: Study

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives �Թϱ��� honorary degree

With PhD in hand, �Թϱ��� grad and former Olympian aims to tackle athlete abuse

�Թϱ��� holds flag-raising ceremonies across its three campuses to mark start of Pride Month

Warming up: �Թϱ��� researcher explores the impact of climate change on sports

Read the full interview at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

�Թϱ��� to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

�Թϱ�� community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

Incoming �Թϱ�� post-doc to research how body image affects sport participation

A lifelong advocate for Indigenous Peoples, Wilton Littlechild receives �Թϱ�� honorary degree

With PhD in hand, �Թϱ�� grad and former Olympian aims to tackle athlete abuse

�Թϱ�� holds flag-raising ceremonies across its three campuses to mark start of Pride Month

Warming up: �Թϱ�� researcher explores the impact of climate change on sports

�Թϱ�� to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination