October 29/14 17:30 pm - Lyle Makosky Values & Ethics in Sport Fund for the Study of Quality & Integrity in Sport in Canada

Posted by Editor on 10/29/14
 

The Lyle Makosky Values and Ethics in Sport Fund, a new national endowment fund established by a life-long leader in sport, Lyle Makosky, will support the study of important values and ethics questions and policies affecting (non-professional) Canadian sport.

"Having been involved in sport my entire life, I've seen the powerful role that a good sport experience can play in building strong individuals and strong communities," says Makosky. "But we know that not every sport experience is a positive one and that can undermine the benefits that sport can bring to our lives. By intentionally studying the values and ethics challenges, in and of sport, we can assess the degree to which sport is providing and achieving what we expect, and in ways we believe are true to its values and ethics."

The fund's awards program (receiving of proposals and allocation of financial support awards to selected candidates) will be managed by the True Sport Foundation (www.truesportfoundation.ca) - a registered national charity that promotes values-driven sport.  Awards will be made possible with a portion of the fund's annual generated income from the Community Foundation of Ottawa (www.cfo-fco.ca), which will manage the capital and donations to the fund. The fund will provide annual financial awards to support foundational, applied and evaluative research that will help better understand the values challenges in, and the values of, sport in Canada and thereby advance solutions that strengthen the conduct of sport.

Those eligible to apply to the fund include:

• high performance athletes enrolled in a post-secondary educational institution

• post-secondary students active in sport

• sport practitioners active in, or working in sport

• educators/academics teaching in a sport, sport science or sport management discipline, who meet the criteria.

Mr. Makosy's commitment to make a difference in this important area is very evident.  His initial donation to establish the fund is being matched by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.  In addition, through the generous support of the McConnell Family Foundation, the True Sport Foundation is also in a position to provide a matching contribution.  To ensure the long-term sustainability of this award program, a more substantial bequest has also been provided in Mr. Makosky's will.

Candidates looking to submit:

Candidates interested in applying for the fund can do so by April 30th of every year. The first awards will be announced July 1, 2015, for the academic year commencing in September 2015. For more information, including the application criteria and requirements, please visit www.truesportfoundation.ca.

Individuals looking to contribute to the fund:

How sport is shaped and conducted in our country and how we experience it tells a lot about our society; what we value; where and when we hold to our principles and where and when we expect principled behaviour.Those interested in supporting this important initiative can make a tax-deductible donation online at canadahelps.org, then select the "Lyle Makosky Values and Ethics in Sport Fund" from the drop down menu.

Lyle Makosky has been engaged in sport most of his life at various levels. He believes that sport is a powerful aspect in the healthy and complete development of people and communities. Lyle competed as a swimmer on the varsity teams in high school and university, then moved to water polo at the club and national levels where he competed for Canada in various international events, and eventually became a water polo coach. Following his formal education in physics, nuclear physics, and geophysics, he moved to the not-for-profit world where he served as national executive director for several sports including diving, synchronized swimming and water polo, and subsequently as the executive director of the Coaching Association of Canada.

As Executive Vice President, he worked in the field of leadership and conflict/issue facilitation with the Niagara Institute while extending his voluntary involvement with the sport system in Canada. He also served as federal Assistant Deputy Minister of Fitness and Amateur Sport, where he guided the reformulation of federal policy and programs during a period of intense scrutiny (Dubin Inquiry on Drugs in Sport, etc.). He is currently the President of InterQuest, a national consulting company which he founded and which specializes in strategic and process consulting to the private, public and non-governmental sectors. Despite not working directly in sport today, his heart and avocation are still deeply attached to Canadian sport to which he has a life-long commitment.

About the True Sport Foundation:

The True Sport Foundation is a national charitable organization committed to ensuring that sport makes a positive contribution to individuals and communities. The Foundation works with its many partners through programs and activities that promote values-based and principle-driven sport for all Canadians.