Laura Misener

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England’s Lucy Robinson, rear right, throws a basket under pressure from Canada’s Kathleen Dandenau, rear left, during a 3x3 women’s wheelchair basketball match between Canada and England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

The Commonwealth Games celebrate integrated para sport, but they also expose inequalities

Laura Misener, Western University and Katie Cronin, University of Birmingham

If the Commonwealth Games showcase sporting excellence, they also expose profound differences in who has the opportunity to reach the starting line.
Canada goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé, who has publicly spoken out about abuse and misconduct in women’s soccer, centre right, punches the ball away from Nigeria’s Christy Ucheibe, centre left, during the first half of a women’s friendly soccer match, in Vancouver, on April 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Abuse in Canadian sport is systemic — a landmark report calls for sweeping reform

Kyle Rich, Brock University and Laura Misener, Western University

Canada’s sport system requires meaningful change that will depend less on identifying problems (which are already well-known) and more on whether governments enforce accountability.
Simona Bubenickova of Czechia (left, with guide David Srutek) and Germany’s Leonie Maria Walter (right, with guide Christian Krasman) pose next to Russia’s Anastasiia Bagiian (centre, with guide Sergei Siniakin) during the medal ceremony for the women’s 10-kilometre vision-impaired cross-country skiing race at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Tesero, Italy, on March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

As Paralympians compete for medals, the world debates Russia’s right to be there

Laura Misener, Western University

Russia’s return to the Paralympic Games exposes the tension between the movement’s commitment to inclusion and the geopolitical realities of war, doping scandals and ethical accountability.
Ottawa Charge forward Tereza Vanišová, centre, celebrates with forwards Kateřina Mrázová, left, and Danielle Serdachny (92) after she scored against the Minnesota Frost during Game 4 of the PWHL hockey finals in May 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

The ‘demonstration effect’ can inspire girls to play — but only if communities are ready

Georgia Teare, Western University and Laura Misener, Western University

In order to help keep girls in sport, and close the participation gender gap in Canada, everyone needs to participate — government, corporate Canada and local clubs.
A composite image of five photographs show former members of Canada’s 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart as they individually arrived to court in London, Ont., in April 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nicole Osborne

Hockey Canada sex assault verdict: Sports culture should have also been on trial

Laura Misener, Western University and Treena Orchard, Western University

Sexual and gender-based violence in sport validate misogyny and reinforce sexual entitlement and inadequate accountability. This was evident in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial.
Despite calls for action, the Canadian government has been slow to address allegations of sexual abuse in sporting bodies. (Shutterstock)

Abuse in Canadian sports highlights gender and racial inequities

Laura Misener, Western University and Angela Schneider, Western University

The lack of government action in response to allegations of sexual abuse in Canadian sport contrasts with the response to previous scandals and highlights the racial and gender inequalities at play.
The Canadian women’s hockey team has received little financial support from Hockey Canada despite winning several international competitions. (Shutterstock)

Hockey Canada must stop treating women’s and para hockey like an afterthought

Laura Misener, Western University and Erin Pearson, Western University

Canadian women’s and para hockey have long been woefully underfunded. Management changes at Hockey Canada are an opportunity to correct the unequal way the game is supported.
Manuela Schaer of Switzerland, right, and Tatyana McFadden of the United States, second from right, compete in the women’s 1500m wheelchair racing T54 final during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Paralympians still don’t get the kind of media attention they deserve as elite athletes

Erin Pearson, Western University and Laura Misener, Western University

The media determines how Paralympians are depicted to viewers. What it chooses to focus on can help change attitudes about disability.
Is there a level playing field for all nations expected to attend the Games when it comes to vaccinations? (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Should the Tokyo Olympics go ahead without a level playing field for COVID‑19 vaccines?

Laura Misener, Western University and Erin Pearson, Western University

Still in the midst of a global pandemic, the International Olympic Committee’s dream of hosting the Tokyo Games in a “post-corona world” is not possible. But should the Games go ahead at all?
A man takes a selfie with the Olympic rings in front of the New National Stadium in Tokyo on the same day the International Olympic Committee announced the 2020 Summer Games would be postponed. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Postponing the Olympics is the right call — curbing the coronavirus pandemic matters more than money

Maxwell J. Smith, Western University and Laura Misener, Western University

The decision to reschedule the Olympic and Paralympic Games was the right move. But how should we decide whether and when the Games should now be held?

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