Sports Day in Canada: Examining Benefits for Community Organizations

Sports Day in Canada (SDIC) is an annual, nation-wide event celebrating the role of sport within communities and promoting sport participation. This study examines the organization participation in the program and any benefits received from hosting an event. Results from an online survey of event organizers showed that participating organizations mainly worked with children and youth, and held tournament or school-based events. Overall satisfaction and reported benefits increased across all four years of SDIC. One main benefit reported by organizations was an increased awareness and interest among community members in sport program(s) offered by their organization. Mass events like SDIC may help enhance organizational capacity to deliver health promotion initiatives including sport and physical activity programming.