The Play Safe Initiative (PSI) is a collaborative group (representing sport, recreation, health, education and research) responding to the urgent call from government and non-government organizations concerned with the personal, social and economic burden of acute and chronic injuries sustained by Ontarians as a result of participation in sport and physical activity. Injury in sport is not new. What is new is that reports of injuries have made their way out of the sports section and into the general sections of mainstream media. Coverage of concussions to superstars is more than just identifying injury in professional sport but drawing attention to the fact that these injuries are happening in children’s sport as well. Medical research in this regard is improving and what we know today about brain injury for instance is very different from what we thought 5, 10 or 30 years ago. Injury in sport is not a requirement or a badge of honour. It can create life-long suffering and lead to debilitating medical conditions that tax our healthcare system and personal lives as well. There is a general public sense that injuries in sport can be better prevented and the Play Safe Initiative is positioned to lead this work.
