Sports Day in Canada on Saturday, September 18 is a national celebration of sport, from grassroots to high-performance levels, in communities across the country. Sports Day in Canada is presented by CBC Sports, ParticipACTION and True Sport and is guided by a committee of national sporting organizations and their networks of coaches, athletes and enthusiasts across the country. It's an opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate the power of sport to build community, fortify our national spirit and facilitate healthy, active living.
Calling all sport-delivery organizations, teams and clubs
Get involved by hosting your own local celebration event anytime during the week leading up to, and including, September 18. Join thousands of organizations across Canada and plan a party, open house, game, competition, meet-and-greet, try-it day, tournament, fun run, spectator event or pep rally. Create something new, or throw open your doors to a competition, activity or event your organization is already doing—and invite other Canadians to join you:
- Think of a sport-related event or activity that your organization, club, team or school is already doing, or could do, between September 11 and 18, 2010. If the event is already open to the public, great—all you have to do is register it on the site. If not, decide how you could open it up to the public—hold an open house, offer a free 'try-it day,' hold an athlete meet-and-greet before a competition, stage a community softball game, invite people to view a team practice or invite your local mayor to host a demonstration event of your sport. Use your imagination.
- Post the details of your local event (contacts, description, photo etc.) on the Sports Day in Canada website at www.cbcsports.ca/sportsday as soon as possible.
- Promote your event to the public. After August 18, the site will include free promotional tools you can download and customize: e-blasts to send to your organization's members, web banner ads to put on your website, free articles about Sports Day in Canada for your newsletter, customizable posters you can print and put up in the community, etc.
- The event listings registered on www.cbcsports.ca/sportsday will become fully, publicly searchable after August 18. Individuals can make plans to come to your event, media can find out details and the country can learn more about your sport and your organization!
- You will also be invited to promote your event to the local media in the 2-3 weeks leading up to September 18. Free PR templates will be available in early September for you to send out to any local contacts you have. If you know any local politicians or elite athletes or celebrities, invite them to come to your event and tell people about it!
- Host your Sports Day in Canada event and join a national celebration of sport.
Calling all Canadians
If you're interested in celebrating sport, getting active and attending a local Sports Day in Canada celebration event in your own community—whether it's an open house, athlete meet-and-greet or a community softball game—visit www.cbcsports.ca/sportsday where you will be able to search for events, find out about Sports Day and check out some pictures and videos.
Wear your hearts on your sleeves on Jersey Day
Sports Day in Canada will offer Canadians a variety of opportunities to get inspired by sport in their own communities. On Friday, September 17, all Canadians are encouraged to dig out their favourite jersey, team or club uniform and wear it proudly to school, work or play. In boardrooms, on Parliament Hill, behind anchor desks and in classrooms, all will have the opportunity to demonstrate their love and support for sport by wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Help us promote Jersey Day by telling your members, teams and clubs, and maybe even getting your local mayor or politician to wear his or her local sporting pride with you!
About the CBC Sports broadcast
The national day of sport celebration will be marked by a compelling two- to four-hour television event airing on CBC Sports. The Sports Day in Canada on CBC broadcast will profile five to seven standout cities that embody the Sports Day experience, unified by national anchor, Scott Russell. In the nine weeks leading up to Sports Day, CBC will air two new weekly broadcast vignettes to raise awareness and drive participation of organizations and the general public in Sports Day in Canada, called This Week in Canadian Sport and ParticipACTION True Sport Moments.
About the Power of Sport and True Sport
In Canada, we call values-based and principle-driven sport 'True Sport'—sport that is based on fairness, excellence, inclusion and fun with the driving principles of: go for it, play fair, respect others, stay healthy, keep it fun and give back.
As Canadians, we tend to think of ourselves as a nation of sports fans, but research shows that sport participation is on the decline. Over the past two decades, sport participation rates in Canadian youth aged 15 to 18 dropped from 77 per cent to 59 per cent—and in adults, from 45 per cent to 28 per cent. Over half of Canadian adults are considered inactive, and only 12% of our children and youth are active enough to meet Canada's physical activity guidelines. Only 3% of people with physical disabilities are involved in sport.
True Sport strives to foster a positive, enriching sport experience for all, allowing participants to reap the physical and health benefits that sport offers and increase their likelihood to continue to participate throughout life.
The Sports Day in Canada Steering Committee
ParticipACTION, True Sport, CBC Sports and the Sports Day in Canada Steering Committee, including Canadian Soccer Association, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and Coaching Association of Canada are working together to deliver Sports Day in Canada to the nation.
For the latest on Sports Day in Canada, go to www.cbcsports.ca/sportsday
