Mental health and sport project launches resource hub featuring Olympian ambassadors

The National Mental Health and Sport project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, aims to support the mental health of athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project launched a resource hub, which is a free online portal that provides tools and information to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

It will also help coaches understand the importance of mental health literacy through modules and articles. It aims to make mental health resources more accessible for rural and indigenous communities across Canada.

“Having resources, especially in smaller communities is not easy to come by. I’ve dealt with mental health issues myself so having something like this has been a really good project, especially for coaches that don’t have that kind of experience,” said figure skating coach, Rhys McAlpine.

McAlpine is one of the ambassadors for the program. He runs RedPine Skating School on Ochapowace First Nation and Whitewood Skating Club. He also was the skating coach representing Saskatchewan for the Aboriginal Apprentice Coach Program at the 2023 Canada Winter Games.

“I’m basically just here to help spread the message to coaches. I’m really trying to promote that you know this is here for everybody. It’s free, it’s really easy to use. You can use it on your phone, at home on the couch, just go on there and search. There’s lots of articles, videos, information graphics. It’s a really good resource,” he explained.

The program is full of high profile ambassadors such as:

• Max Parrot, three-time Olympic medalists
• Jillian Officer, decorated Olympic curler
• Bev Priestman, Head coach of the Women’s National Soccer Team
• Robin McKeever, Head Coach of Canada’s Olympic Cross-Country Ski Team
• Steve Leknois, Men’s Volleyball coach at RMC and 22-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces
• Damian Warner, Decathlete and Olympic Champion

They are among many other Canadian ambassadors that have joined the mental health and sport program.

“I’ve been able to experience a lot of competitions with coaches, highs and lows, so I understand the importance that a coach can have on an athletes life from a physical standpoint, but also from a mental standpoint,” said Warner on why he became an ambassador.

“Anytime someone like the CAC [Coaching Association of Canada] is going to come together and give coaches more resources or more opportunities to be better and in a position to help their athletes, I’m all for that,” he added.

Warner went on to explain how his two different Olympic experiences helped him navigate the importance of taking care of your mental health as an athlete.

“When I went to the Olympics in 2016, I had really high expectations. I wanted to win a gold medal, and I thought I was physically ready to go win gold. I went there and fell short. It seems kind of weird because I was still able to finish on the podium and win bronze. But for athletes, when we play a lot of expectations on yourself, it can be very devastating,” he shared.

“I started working with a sports psychologist and it’s only now that I realized, sure I may have had the physical things required to win a gold medal, but there’s also the mental side of things. I put myself in a position where physically, mentally, and emotionally I was ready to go out there and win a gold medal and I was able to do that the following Olympics [Tokyo 2020].”

The project has also sought the works of plenty of mental health, sport and COVID-19 subject matter experts.

Jennifer Misurelli, a PhD Candidate at the University of Ottawa, is the project lead for the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sports virtual workshops.

“Our organization is responsible for work we designed and we’re running three different workshops for mental health literacy specifically for coaches across the country,” explained Misurelli.

As part of her PhD dissertation, she has helped created three virtual workshops over ZOOM that coaches will be able to take free for a year.

“Mental health has always needed to be talked about but I think with COVID-19 it’s really illuminated a lot of areas where we just need to improve the narratives and the conversations that we’re having around mental health and sports,” said Misurelli.

Some key areas the project will focus on are remote areas, Indigenous peoples, newcomers to Canada, and the Canadian Armed Forces.

“I think it’s about availability. The need is definitely there [for these areas] but the access might not be. I think it’s a really good way of understanding how mental health translates differently depending on the culture or organization,” she said.

“Every year, 1 in 4 people experience mental health challenges; this is now 1 in 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated the Coaching Association of Canada in a release.

“Research has shown that as participants return to sport across Canada, coaches and sports leaders across the country at every level have a vital role to play.”

“We had a few athletes that left our club because of COVID-19 and it did impact a lot of people. Obviously, it’s a global pandemic but specifically for the kids in my area. We have a lot of Indigenous communities around us and they went online for school and some of them didn’t come back,” explained McAlpine.

“So especially in the Indigenous communities where they don’t have as much access as other communities, having something like this will really help out.”

The Mental Health and Resource Hub can be accessed here.