With the creation of the Sport Injury Surveillance Program (SISP), Sport Alliance Ontario (SAO) is responding proactively to an urgent call from leading injury prevention organizations who are concerned about the significant personal, social and economic burden of serious injuries sustained by the children and youth of Ontario and the Ontario health system, as a result of participation in sport and recreational activities. Following the lead of the Government of Ontario in promoting the benefits of physical activity and the prevention of injury, SAO is committed to ensuring that children and youth are participating safely.

With the collaboration of selected Provincial Sport Organizations and York University, the SISP will aid in educating coaches, trainers, volunteers and leaders in sport to recognize, change and control the factors that cause injury.

To be effective, the practice of injury prevention must be evidence-based. Data collection, management, and surveillance are necessary to build a foundation for research. SISP will collect essential data about injuries occurring in children and youth during physical activity. This data will supply us with information regarding who is being injured, the mechanism of the injury, the type and severity of the injury, the environment in which injuries occur and whether precautions were taken to prevent the injuries.

The SISP will also aid SAO’s mission of being a leader in the sporting world, especially given recent media and community interest in injury in sport as is evident by a) the Federal government’s introduction of Bill 616 calling for national sport injury surveillance and data collection and b) the Federal government’s announcement in March 2011 that $5 million in funding would be made available for not-for-profit agencies working on sport injury prevention issues.

For more information on the SAO’s Sport & Recreation Injury Surveillance Program or to find out how your sport can become involved, please contact