Sierra Eshoouzadeh of Beaver Bank. (Sport N.S. Photo)

LOWER SACKVILLE: A Beaver Bank boxer, with ties to Sackville, is among the 12 athletes chosen by Sport Nova Scotia’s True Sport Ambassador Program.

Sierra Eshouzadeh, who also plays with Sackville High football, was unveiled with the other athletes for the program in a release issued by Sport N.S. on Jan. 13.

The True Sport Amabassadors were selected by Sport Nova Scotia (SNS), in partnership with the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic (CSCA).

This social media campaign was created to foster a positive and safe sporting culture across the province. The ultimate goal is to increase awareness of the seven True Sport Principles; “Go For It, Play Fair, Respect Others, Keep it Fun, Stay Healthy, Include Everyone, and Give Back.”

Check out the athletes selected here: https://sportnovascotia.ca/true-sport-ambassadors/

Each month a new featured athlete will share how they live the True Sport Principles in their athletic and everyday pursuits through personal stories on Instagram. They will show how their commitment to the True Sport Principles has contributed to a positive values-based sport culture designed to protect participants from threats such as maltreatment and maximize the positive benefits of sport.

These 12 athletes were nominated by CSCA’s Support4Sport VIP Coaches from all over Nova Scotia and were selected through a rigorous evaluation process.

The athletes attended training in fall 2021 and are excited to embark on the pilot year of this project to contribute to the safe sport efforts of SNS and CSCA and their goal of promoting a safe and welcoming sport culture for all Nova Scotians.

The program was grateful to receive a Community Activation Grant from the Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) to support the program’s safe sport efforts.

“The Nova Scotia True Sport Athlete Ambassador Program is an opportunity to engage athletes in important conversations that will inspire leaders in communities throughout Nova Scotia.

“Together with the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic, we are confident that a positive and preventative approach like True Sport will further our goal of fostering safe and values-based sport and recreational experiences across the province,” said Elana Liberman, Safe Sport Lead at Sport Nova Scotia.

“I would like to applaud Sport Nova Scotia and the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic for their exemplary leadership. Their positive and upstream approach to safe sport through True Sport activation and athlete engagement is trail-blazing,” said Karri Dawson, Senior Director, Quality Sport at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).

“We hope that their commitment to safe sport through True Sport will inspire other provincial and territorial sport organizations to do the same and answer the call to commit to values-based sport.”

The Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic is proud to be part of the Nova Scotia True Sport Athlete Ambassador Program.

“Through our sport heroes, we will be able to promote the positive and ethical values that sport can bring to all young Nova Scotians in communities across our province,” said Ken Bagnell, CEO at the CSCA.