Continued Support for Canada's Top Athletes and Coaches in British Columbia

RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 14, 2015) - Department of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today reiterated the Government of Canada's continued support for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network. The Government of Canada is investing close to $16 million per year in the national network of seven Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes, which provide world-class training, sport medicine, sport science and lifestyle services and support to Canada's top athletes and coaches.

Minister Findlay was joined by Canadian sport leaders and athletes as they toured the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific facilities inside the Richmond Olympic Oval. The Oval is a legacy facility from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Quick Facts

• Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes were created in the late 1990s by a unique national partnership between Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada to enhance the daily training environment of Canada's high-performance athletes and coaches. In each case, the provincial governments are also funding partners. The Canadian Paralympic Committee has since become a funding partner, while Own the Podium is a high-performance sport partner.
  
  
• In 2014-15, the Government of Canada, through Sport Canada's Sport Support Program, invested $15,854,724 in the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, including $4,579,009 to the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific.
  
  
• In the four years prior to the London 2012 and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, the Government invested over $12.5 million and $14.8 million, respectively, in the programs and services provided by the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. Looking forward through the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, our Government is continuing to provide our top athletes and coaches in British Columbia with what they need to compete-including over $13.8 million to the Institute between 2013-14 and the end of 2015-16.
  
  
• The Canadian Sport Institute Pacific provides services to 463 carded athletes and to 55 national team coaches, the highest volume of athletes and coaches across the Canadian Sport Centre and Institute network. With three hubs (Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler), the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific works with a multitude of sports, including rowing, triathlon, ski cross and wheelchair rugby.
  
  
• Supporting this national network ensures that each centre and institute is able to continue providing world-class services and programs to Canada's top athletes and coaches, enabling them to continue their relentless pursuit of podium performances wherever they compete.
  
  
• During the Year of Sport of Canada, we are celebrating our athletes and their role in inspiring all Canadians-especially our young people-as they compete at home in major international events throughout the year, including the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 and the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
  
  
• When we embrace the power of sport and lead more active lifestyles, we benefit as individuals but we also build healthier, stronger communities. That is why the Government has doubled the Children's Fitness Tax Credit to $1,000. This, together with the expansion of the Universal Child Care Benefit, will help offset the costs of parents enrolling their children in organized sports.
  
  

Quotes

"The Government of Canada remains a proud and significant funding partner in the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network. Our support ensures that each centre and institute has the resources required to help our athletes and coaches compete against the world's best-and win. Especially during the Year of Sport in Canada, our Government continues to invest in sport at record levels because we know the impact it has: from local playgrounds and recreational sport leagues all the way to high-performance athletes, sport is vital to the cultural fabric of our nation. Our country is a leading sport nation, and we want to keep it that way."

-The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport)

"From the living legacy of the Vancouver 2010 Games to the opportunity ahead this summer with the FIFA Women's World Cup, our athletes inspire us, and their exploits on the field of play make all Canadians proud. Our Government is pleased to invest in and support the passionate team of sport professionals at the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific who provide our top athletes and coaches with the technology and support they need to find the seconds and inches that help them push for the podium."

-The Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Minister of National Revenue

"Our team at the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific is thrilled with the support from the Government of Canada. Its investment ensures our sport science and sport medicine services for targeted summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic sports will allow us to compete and win against the best in the world."

-Wendy Pattenden, CEO, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

Associated Links

Canada.ca/Sport

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network

FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015

Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games

Children's Fitness Tax Credit

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