Ottawa – Athletics Canada is pleased to announce today a formal partnership with School Sport Canada (SSC) which will see the organizations work together to support coach education, marketing initiatives and further integration of para-athletics at the high school level.
“Athletics Canada has been working informally with School Sport Canada for over a year, it is very exciting to formalize the partnership,” said Rob Guy, Chief Executive Officer. “Athletics Canada looks forward to working hand in hand with SSC on coaching, marketing and integration opportunities.”
Athletics Canada and School Sport Canada are pooling resources and sharing expenses to develop a series of introductory eLearning modules, serving to provide new club and school based coaches with basic knowledge and understanding of track and field, providing middle and high school aged participants a strong start in the sport. These modules will be a first in Canada, integrated into Athletics Canada’s core National Coaching Certification Program curriculum and the school-learning pathway.
“We are thrilled to be working in partnership with Athletics Canada on an outstanding set of resources that will support coaches at all levels in schools, clubs and beyond,” commented John Paton, President of School Sport Canada.
Athletics Canada will continue to deliver a first-rate viewer experience of provincial high school championships on AthleticsCanada.tv. In the first season of streaming coverage AthleticsCanada.tv carried the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA), BC School Sports (BCSS), and Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) track and field championships. This fall will also see coverage of the BCSS and OFSAA cross-country championships.
Another pillar of this partnership is the continued integration of para-athletics into existing high school sport programs. Athletics Canada’s para-athletics development staff is actively working with provincial high school athletics programming, assisting in developing appropriate event formats and tools to assist teachers in identifying participants. This has already been successfully piloted in Alberta, Nova Scotia and Ontario.