Introduction and Methodology 1.1Project Background

1.2Methodology

This project involved four individual lines of evidence with four separate target populations: a survey of currently carded athletes, a survey of previously carded athletes, a survey of coaches and high-performance directors associated with National Sport Federations, and individual interviews with representatives of Canadian Sport Centres.

a)Online Survey of High Performance Athletes

The survey of athletes was designed as a self-administered, web-based survey. All 1,400 currently carded high-performance athletes were invited to participate in the survey and every attempt was made to reach as many of these athletes as possible. Specifically, an advanced communications plan was put in place with the assistance of Athletes CAN and Sport Canada with the ultimate goal of raising awareness and interest in the survey. In addition to these communications, an initial covering letter was distributed by e-mail, prior to the official survey invitation, describing the survey and study and its purpose, while underlining to athletes the importance of participating in the survey. The actual survey invitation, sent by EKOS to all athletes on the contact list, included a brief description of the survey and assurance of confidentiality (in both official languages), along with a hypertext link to a survey website and the athlete’s personal PIN. Multiple reminders were also issued by e-mail to athletes who had not yet completed the survey, encouraging them to participate in the study. The survey began in April of 2004, however, response was slow in coming in and continued over the course of the summer. Following the initial invitation and several reminders, a full paper copy package (including questionnaire, covering letter and postage paid return envelope) was mailed to each non-respondent. Little was done to boost response rates over the period of July and August (particularly given that it was an Olympic year). Additional e-mail reminders were issued in September, as well as reminder calls made to over 300 non-respondent athletes by telephone. The overall response rate for the survey, out of the athlete pool for whom there was full, valid contact information (roughly 1,116 currently carded athletes), is 46 per cent.

b)Key Informant Interviews

The second line of evidence for this study included a series of individual telephone interviews with presidents and staff of all eight (8) Canadian Sport Centres (CSCs). All contact information on potential interviewees (name, organization, and telephone number) was provided by Sport Canada, who also helped determine which staff to interview. EKOS designed and translated the introductory letter and interview guide. Key informants were asked for their views on the state of Canadian athletes, what is working in terms of training and funding, and what needs to be done to improve their performance. The questions in the interviews were open-ended in nature. Each interview lasted approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

c)Other Surveys

Surveys were also conducted with previously carded athletes, and coaches and high-performance directors. Each questionnaire was designed as a self-administered interview. In the case of previously carded athletes, the survey was administered over the Internet, using an invitation and reminders delivered by e-mail. In the case of coaches and directors, the questionnaire was mailed out, along with a covering letter and a pre-addressed, prepaid envelope. Once again, EKOS was responsible for developing, revising, translating and administering the survey instruments and invitation letters (including reminder letters), which were approved by Sport Canada and Athletes CAN. In the case of the coaches and directors survey, 75 responses were obtained, out of 200, for a response rate of 38 per cent. In the case of previously carded athletes, however, over 800 athletes were invited to participate and only 61 responses were obtained, in spite of several reminder attempts. As such, it is very difficult to assess whether the responses from previously carded athletes are in any way representative of the wider population. Partially because of the small sample sizes and, in the case of previously carded athletes, because of the poor response, the survey results for these two populations are presented as more findings that are more qualitative in nature and meant to suggest a broad trend, but not to be interpreted with any fine precision.