TORONTO, August 7, 2015 – York University, host venue of the largest-ever Parapan Am Games that get underway tonight with spectacular Opening Ceremony, has a number of experts who are available to speak to the sporting event as it relates to the athletes and the Games in general.
Impact of sport in athletes with disability
Jonathan Weiss, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, is available to comment on the importance of sport for people with intellectual disabilities and participation for athlete self-esteem, social inclusion, skill building and parent well-being.
Roxanne Mykitiuk, Associate Professor of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, is available to comment on re-representation of disability in sport and the issues surrounding access and inclusion in sports for people with disabilities.
Rachel Gorman, Associate Professor, School of Health Policy and Management, is available to comment on international rights in sporting for people with disability.
Athletic coaching & performance
Joe Baker, Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology & Health Science is available to comment on talent identification, athlete training and development, performance and aging, perception and cognition in sport and sports psychology.
Parissa Safai, Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology & Health Science, is available to comment on the socio-cultural study of risk and risk-taking in sport; cultures of risk, pain and injury, as well as the social determinants of athletes’ health, and the social organization of sport medicine in Canada.
Political & economic impact
Dennis Pilon, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, is available to comment on the use of public money and the question of economic and social benefit of mega sporting events.
Sports injury
Alison Macpherson, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, is available to speak about how sports injury in childhood can affect the future of a professional athlete hopeful.
Lauren Sergio, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, is available to speak to the impact of concussions in athletes and recovery time, and talk about brain control of eye-hand/foot coordination and how it varies in elite male and female athletes
Sports psychology
Myriam Mongrain, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, researches on the personality factors involved in depression and has studied the role of personality in athletic competition. She is available to comment on athletes’ responses to loss or failure.
Frances Flint, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, is available to comment on physical or psychological aspects of injury, the psychological aspects of performance and sports medicine (not related to performance-enhancing drugs or doping).
Jessica Fraser-Thomas, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology & Health Science, is available to comment on sport psychology, mental training, youth sport, talent development, dropout, psychosocial influences of sport (parents, coaches and peers). Her current study investigates the role of the Olympics in influencing young children’s sport participation and development.
Branding & marketing
Markus Giesler, Marketing professor at the Schulich School of Business, is available to comment on celebrity branding and sponsorship relations. He can also comment on how captivating sports-based consumer experiences are designed, and how consumer perceptions of fairness and transparency form.
Alan Middleton, Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Schulich School of Business, is available to comment on advertising, branding, promotion and sponsorship, international marketing, marketing management and marketing strategy.
Vijay Setlur, Marketing Instructor in the Schulich School of Business, is available to speak to the economic impact resulting from sport tourism, ticket sales/attendance, and legacy planning for sport and community.
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Media contact:
Gloria Suhasini, Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22094, suhasini@yorku.ca
