What You Can Do: Events

• Become a True Sport Event by having your event organizing committee consider a motion to join the True Sport Movement.
• Add your event to the growing list of events, communities, groups and individuals across Canada who believe in the power of good sport by completing the online form at www.truesport.ca/declare.
• Add the True Sport logo to your event website and on all event communication items (e.g. application forms, rules & regulations, registration materials, programs, security badges, credential forms, letterhead, results board, etc.) to ensure that all participants are aware of the event’s commitment to the True Sport Principles.
• Add the True Sport logo to your event banners, posters, and materials including results boards, souvenirs, merchandise and volunteer apparel.
• Dedicate a page on your website to highlighting your event’s engagement in and commitment to True Sport.
• Use social networking to spread the word about how you are living True Sport and about True Sport events and activities.
• Ensure your volunteers understand their role in helping True Sport live during your event. Adapt the True Sport Volunteer Engagement Kit to your event’s needs.
• Include True Sport as a regular business item on your event organizing committee meeting agendas to monitor and discuss how True Sport could be reflected during the event. Think about strategies by which you’ll make parents/spectators aware of True Sport and behavioural expectations during the event.
• Include information about True Sport in pre-event coach and/or athlete packages. Encourage participating teams/athletes to make their own commitment to the True Sport Principles by joining True Sport at www.truesport.ca/declare.
• Prominently display True Sport Principles for Sport posters and/or banners in your event change rooms, spectator stands and venues.
• Have a True Sport signing party - invite event participants including coaches and spectators to sign a True Sport banner to demonstrate their commitment to the True Sport Principles. Hang the signed banner proudly in the event facility.
• Whenever possible, host your event in a True Sport Facility. Alternatively, introduce the host facility managers to True Sport and encourage them to declare their facility a True Sport Facility.
• Adopt the True Sport Principles for Sport as the event’s code of conduct.
• Establish policies and procedures to empower volunteers and organizers, and to deal with inappropriate behaviour and/or participants and spectators who do not abide by the event code of conduct.
• Set up a True Sport information booth at the event to show participants how they can take True Sport home with them.
• Discuss True Sport during pre-event/competition meetings or ensure that an event organizer has talked to each team/coach about True Sport and its implications in this event.
• Encourage participating teams/athletes/coaches to make their own commitment to the True Sport Principles by joining the True Sport Movement.
• Hold a True Sport pre-event/competition information sessions for parents.
• Recognize True Sport Players of the Game for each team. Use the True Sport Principles for Sport to guide the selection criteria. Display the True Sport logo on the Award. The same could be done with coach awards.
• Introduce True Sport during the opening ceremonies.
  • Sign a ceremonial True Sport declaration to demonstrate the event’s commitment to good sport and the True Sport values and principles. Have representatives from the organizing committee sign the declaration as well as an athlete, coach and official sign on behalf of their peer group.
  • Incorporate True Sport into oathes taken by athletes, coaches and officials.
• Celebrate True Sport Moments during the closing ceremonies. Have a True Sport Crew appointed to identify good behaviours during the event.
• If you host an event banquet, highlight the True Sport Principles by hanging banners, posters, incorporating it into award presentations and/or having someone present True Sport to the participants.
• Show the True Sport video – “True Sport Lives Here” or “Heart of True Sport” – during the opening ceremonies or during the event banquet.
• Add the True Sport logo to medals, trophies, certificates given out to participants.
• Purchase True Sport resources for awards, draw prizes, and as giveaways for participants.
• Your commitment to good sport is a marketable community asset. Use this commitment as a “selling feature” when developing corporate partnerships, and sponsorships. Introduce relevant community stakeholders to True Sport and show them how it can help them achieve their goals.
• Highlight participants who model the True Sport principles on and off the field of play.

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