Sports Glossary and Acronyms
Glossary of Terms
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Abuse – any action, physical or verbal,
which exploits or potentially harms a child’s
physical, emotional or psychological health.
Athlete – an individual who demonstrates
skill in a sport, trains and competes as part of
her/his regular routine or career goal.
Athlete development – measures and support
which allow athletes to reach their optimal
physical, technical, tactical, emotional and
cognitive potential.
At-risk Youth – youth that are at risk
because of their socio-economic status, environment,
friends, family situation, behaviourial problems,
physical or mental health. (Research identifies that
physical activity and recreation can play a positive
role in the development of young people and in
reducing youth-related risk factors.)
Best practices – programs, initiatives or
activities which are considered leading edge, or
exceptional models for others to follow.
Body Mass Index – Body mass index (BMI) is
measure of body fat based on height and weight.
While BMIs are a good measure of population health,
there are limitations when applying to individual
health (e.g. may not adequately measure children
going through growing spurts, do not provide
accurate measures on individuals with high muscle
mass). BMI calculators are available through
searching the internet.
Canada Games – occurs every four years
(there are Canada Summer Games and Canada Winter
Games which take place in alternate four-year cycles
– that is, Games take place every two years) in a
host community in Canada, based upon a
federal/provincial/territorial rotation cycle. Each
province and territory sends a team of athletes
(accompanied by coaches, manager and mission staff)
to compete in a multisport (about 20 different
sports) environment. These Games are generally
viewed as stepping stones to the Pan American,
Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth Games or world
championships.
Capacity building – facilities, programs
or other resources which help develop a community’s
(organization or group) ability to perform specific
tasks (such as increase participation levels,
support athletes’ development, build facilities).
Coach development - measures and support
which allows coaches to reach their optimal coaching
potential. In general, this means providing
competency-based certification, training, clinics
and education opportunities.
Eco-sport (or outdoor recreation) –
unstructured physical activity which occurs in
natural, outdoor settings such as provincial and
national parks, and in the backcountry or other
outdoor environments (e.g. kayaking, backcountry
skiing, hiking, sailing). These activities are
practised generally for personal health and social
benefits, or as part of a tourism experience.
Eligibility criteria – standards that will
be met in order to qualify for specific programs
such as funding.
Entry Level Participant – an individual
who has had only limited exposure to a sport where
the activity often includes modified rules or
equipment.
Equity – the belief and practice of fair
and just treatment for individuals and
organizations. To be equitable means to be fair and
appear to be fair.
Gender Equity – the principle and practice
of fair allocation of resources, programs and
decision-making to both women and men, and includes
the redressing of identified imbalances in the
benefits available.
Harassment – when a person is bothered or
tormented persistently and intentionally.
HEPA (health enhancing physical activity)
– the international movement and philosophy
advocating physical activity as instrumental to
enhancing health.
High performance – level of sport where
athlete strives to excel at elite or international
standards.
High Performance Athlete – an individual
who has been identified through competitive
achievement as having the skill, ability and
interest in competing at the national and
international level and who intensively trains
year-round.
Infrastructure – facilities, resources or
networks that form the underlying foundation or
basic framework of a system.
Marginalized Group – groups of individuals
are marginalized by virtue of their gender, race,
culture, colour, class, sexuality, ability and other
prohibited grounds for discrimination as specified
by the
B.C. Human Rights Code (1992).
Member sport – a “member sport” is one
which subscribes to and receives programs and/or
services from an umbrella or lead organization –
such would describe Basketball BC, for example,
being a member sport of Sport BC; or the National
Cycling Centre being a member sport of the Pacific
Sport Canadian Sport Centre – Greater Victoria.
Multisport organization – an organization
which oversees or provides services or programs for
various sports. Examples include proMotion Plus, the
organization for girls and women in sport; Sport BC,
federation for amateur sport representing 80
organizations, the B.C. Games Society, the
organization overseeing multisport games in B.C.
Organized sport – sports which are part of
a league and/or organized with a set schedule
leading to championships (city, regional or
provincial).
Participant-centred – concept where
programs, services and activities are focused
directly on the individual or end-user (e.g.
athlete, coach, volunteer, participant, leader).
Participatory – description of activities
which are generally non-competitive and encourage
individuals to participate for health, social and/or
personal benefits, as opposed to winning and losing.
Physical activity – any bodily movement
produced by the contraction of the skeletal muscles
that increases energy expenditure above a baseline
level. Can also describe activities whereby physical
exertion is required and does not necessarily
include an activity which is considered a sport
(e.g. hiking, jogging, aerobics).
Physical Fitness and Amateur Sport Fund –
This $44 million provincial government fund
generates about $1.55 million annually (in interest)
and is included as part of the provincial budget to
promote sport and physical activity. It was
introduced in 1969 as a perpetual fund and doubled
in 2001 to $44 million.
Physical education – an educational
process that uses physical activity as a means to
help people acquire skills, fitness, knowledge and
attitudes that contribute to their optimal
development and well-being.
Physical fitness – the ability to carry
out daily tasks with vigor and without undue
fatigue, and with sufficient energy to engage in
leisure-time pursuits and the vitality to perform at
one’s fullest capacity.
Professional sports – sports where
athletes normally receive a salary or compensation
for competing or placing in a sporting event.
Provincial health goals – these goals are
set by the B.C. Ministry of Health Services as the
province’s vision for a healthy population and
provide a framework for action to improve the health
of British Columbians and reduce inequalities in the
province.
Provincial sport organization – the
governing body which oversees a specific sport in
the province (e.g. BC Amateur Hockey Association,
Basketball BC, Gymnastics BC) and affiliated with a
national sport organization and international sport
federation.
Provincial team (or Team BC) – the
team of athletes, coaches and support staff which
represents British Columbia at national competitions
or multisport Games. The team members are selected
by provincial sport organizations based on
performance merit.
Recreation – activities generally done
during an individual’s leisure time (outside of
school and work) and for non-competitive, non
compensatory reasons.
Recreationalist or recreational athlete
– individuals who participate in sport events (10K
runs, triathlons, baseball tournaments) which may
require training or practice regimens and may have
personal competitive goals, but are not considered
amateur (training and competing full-time without
being paid) or professional athletes.
Sport – Sport is a physical activity
involving large muscle groups, requiring strategic
methods, physical training and mental preparation
and whose outcome is determined, within a rules
framework, by skill, not chance. Sport occurs in an
organized, structured and competitive environment
where a winner is declared.
Sport and physical activity system – this
includes all participants and partners involved in
sport or physical activity – including athletes,
people who participate in sport or physical activity
strictly for health or social benefits, coaches,
officials, volunteers, administrators, groups and
organizations, levels of government, public sector
agencies (e.g. schools, universities, health groups)
funders and program/service providers.
Sport continuum – describes the range of
activity and ability in sport and physical activity.
Generally refers to a continuum starting at
participatory (non-competitive, unstructured
activity) and traveling to world-class high
performance (competitive, highly structured
activity).
Sport development - measures and support
which allows a specific sport or a sport
organization to improve and/or grow.
Sport suitability – a concept where an
individual’s age, physical, genetic, emotional,
physiological and/or mental attributes are
compatible with predicted or established skill and
ability requirements or demands of a sport.
Talent identification – a process where
ability is identified (generally by coaches or sport
scientists) and athletes are measured against
indicators of success and directed to a specific
sport or sport skill. This process can occur before
an individual starts participating in a sport, or
while the individual is participating in a sport
(and identified as having potential to reach the
next level of competition or athlete development).
Unstructured sports – sport activities
that occur in a recreational setting (e.g.
playground, school gym or schoolyard). These
activities may have an outcome (win or loss), but
don’t lead to championships or tournaments and don’t
involve “teams” or “standings”.
Violence – behaviour such as the
following:
- Loud verbal assaults.
- Threats and attempts to intimidate.
- Throwing of article in a deliberate or
aggressive manner.
- Aggressive approaches to another individual.
- Physical striking of another individual.
- Attempts to goad or incite violence in
others.
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Common acronyms and abbreviations in the sport
and physical activity system (see the
Sports Links
page for descriptions and links to most of these
organizations)
- AAP – Athlete Assistance Program
- ALACD – Active Living Alliance for Canadians
with a Disability
- ALCOA – Active Living Coalition for Older
Adults
- ASBC – Action Schools! BC
- Aboriginal Youth FIRST – Aboriginal Youth
Futures in Recreation and Sport Training
- ASRA – Aboriginal Sport and Recreation
Association of BC
- BMI – Body Mass Index
- BCRPA – BC Recreation and Parks Association
- CAAWS – Canadian Association for the
Advancement of Women in Sport
- CABC – Coaches Association of BC
- CAC – Coaching Association of Canada
- CAL – Coalition for Active Living
- CAPHERD – Canadian Association for Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance
- CBET – Competency-based Education and
Training (for coaches)
- CCAA – Canadian College Athletic Association
- CCES – Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
- CFLRI – Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle
Research Institute
- CIRA – Canadian Intramural Association
- CIS – Canadian Interuniversity Sport
(formerly Canadian Interuniversity Athletic
Union)
- COC – Canadian Olympic Committee
- CPC – Canadian Paralympic Committee
- CPRA – Canadian Parks and Recreation
Association
- F-P/T – federal-provincial/territorial
- F-P/TSC – Federal-provincial/territorial
Sport Committee (governments)
- F-P/TPARC – Federal-provincial/territorial
Physical Activity and Recreation Committee
(governments)
- IF – International Federation
- IRSC – Interprovincial Recreation and Sport
Council
- IOC – International Olympic Committee
- IPC – International Paralympic Committee
- LIN – Leisure Information Network
- LTADM – long-term athlete development model
- MSO – Multi-sport organization
- NFLA – National Fitness Leadership Alliance
- NSA – National Sport Agencies
- NSO – National Sport Organization
- NCCP – National Coaching Certification
Program
- NCI – National Coaching Institute
- NGOs – Non-government organizations
- PacSport – Pacific Sport Canadian Sport
Centres
- PAA – Premier’s Athletic Awards
- PFASF – Physical Fitness and Amateur Sport
Fund
- PSAP – Premier’s Sport Award Program
- PSI – Post-secondary Institution
- PRO – Provincial Recreation Organization
- PSO – Provincial Sport Organization
- QDPE – Quality, daily physical education
- VANOC – Vancouver Organizing Committee for
the Olympic and Paralympic Games
- WHO – World Health Organization
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