Athletes chasing Olympic glory received a boost on Feb. 11 after the federal government gave a million dollar commitment to Own the Podium in 2015, and could commit another two million over the next two years, depending on corporate sponsorship.
Minister of State (Sport) Bal Gosal made the announcement at Canadian Olympic Park, and said the money will apply specifically to research and development in order to give Canadian athletes the tools to reach their goals. The money can be spent in three categories: human performance, sports engineering and proactive sports medicine. They fall under a new ‘Innovations 4 Gold’ initiative, a sport research program led by Own the Podium to help Canada win more medals at the summer, winter and Paralympic games.
Since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, many sports haven’t seen corporate sponsors step up to fund teams as expected. The funding announcement is designed to bridge that gap. The subsequent $2 million is dependent on Own the Podium’s ability to find matching corporate donors.
“We are very pleased to see these partners step up to the challenge of providing additional funds that will help Canadian athletes through the research and innovation projects from the Innovations 4 Gold initiative. The Government of Canada recognizes the continued success of our athletes in major international competitions – such as the upcoming 2015 Toronto Pan and Parapan American Games and the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games – depends on dynamic partnerships like this that will continue to provide them access to cutting-edge resources and technology. We are a leading sport nation and we want to keep it that way,” said Gosal.
“Innovations 4 Gold is a difference maker. If Canada is not doing innovation and research, then we are simply not part of the game. Innovation 4 Gold is a critical component of Own the Podium’s goal to deliver more medals for Canada. With the Government of Canada’s leadership through this gracious investment, along with our corporate partners, this unique program will continue to make a difference in putting more Canadian athletes on the Olympic and Paralympic podiums,” said Own the Podium Chief Executive Officer Anne Merklinger.
Locally, funding should help the national alpine, biathlon and cross-country ski programs, however, by how much is unsure at this time. The federal government spends less than $200 million on sport annually, funding 1,800 athletes, 56 national sport organizations and seven sports centres.
Biathlon Canada and Cross Country Canada saw OTP funding decreases following the 2014 Olympic Winter games.
