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Close-up headshot of Nicole Forrester with a neutral expression. She has long straight hair and is wearing a light blue collared shirt with drop earrings.

Dr. Nicole Forrester

Undergraduate Program Director, Sport Media, Assistant Professor
EducationPhD, Michigan State University; MBA, Queen's University; MEd, University of Texas; BSc, University of Michigan; BA, University of Michigan

Biography

Dr. Nicole Forrester is an interdisciplinary sport scholar whose research examines excellence in sport through the experiences of athletes and the systems that shape their performance. Her work focuses on athlete-centred governance, psychosocial performance, and high-performance sport systems, examining how organizational structures and performance environments can better support athlete performance, well-being, and meaningful involvement in decision-making.

An Olympian and eight-time Canadian high jump champion, Dr. Forrester represented Canada on 20 national teams, earning medals at the Commonwealth and Pan American Games. She is also a mental performance consultant and licensed kinesiologist. Beyond academia and applied sport practice, she has contributed to sport media as a host, reporter, researcher, and writer with CBC Sports.

Dr. Forrester has served and consulted with national and international sport organizations, including the Women鈥檚 Sports Foundation, where her work has contributed to recommendations addressing athletes, leadership, gender equity, and media within the Olympic and Paralympic movement. Drawing on her experience across elite sport, research, governance, applied practice, and media, her work bridges research and practice to strengthen athlete-centred systems and inform contemporary sport policy and decision-making.

Dr. Forrester's research is organized around the athlete perspective and examines how athletes experience, navigate, and influence high-performance sport systems.
 
  • Athlete-centred governance, athlete voice, and representation
  • Psychosocial performance and sustained excellence
  • Athlete experience, well-being, and high-performance sport systems

 

 

Elite Athlete Lab

The Elite Athlete Lab provides a platform for research focused on the experiences, environments, and systems that shape elite athletes. Its work brings together athlete-centred governance, psychosocial performance, and high-performance sport research, with an emphasis on translating evidence and athlete experience into policy, practice, and organizational decision-making.

Selected Publications

1. Forrester, N.W. (2026). From rhetoric to representation: Athlete-centred governance understood, constructed, and enacted in a mega-sport event. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 8, Article 1864884. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2026.1864884

2. Forrester, N. W., & MacIntosh, E. M. (2026). From rhetoric to reality: An empirical audit of athlete-centred governance in the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 8, Article 1864922. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2026.1864922

3. Forrester N.W. (2026). Global Standards for Athlete-Centred Governance: 20% Peer-Elected Representation. Routledge Open Research, 5:12 (https://doi.org/10.12688/routledgeopenres.21894.1)

Selected Policy and Technical Contributions

1. Bucsis, A., Smith, M., Felesky, L., Forrester, N., Kidd, A., LaForme, H. S., & Subban, K. (2022). Independent Committee Final Report. Commissioned Report for Greater Toronto Hockey League.

2. Forrester, N. (2021). More Than a Voice Whitepaper. Commissioned policy report prepared for Commonwealth Sport.

3. Forrester, N. (2022). 2022 Olympic and Paralympic athlete leadership recommendations. Commissioned policy contribution prepared for Women鈥檚 Sports Foundation.

Selected Public Scholarship and Media

1. Foti, L., and Forrester, N.W. (July 2026).

2. Forrester, N. W. (2021, July 30).

3. Forrester, N.W. (2021). Featured expert, . 

4. Forrester, N. W. (2019, February 24).

5. Forrester, N. W. (2018, August 12).