The federal government is setting aside $660 million over the next five years for national sport organizations that have faced mounting deficits for years.
Tuesday’s spring economic update promises $110 million annually after that to boost to funding for national sport organizations that had remained largely static for two decades.
Following this year’s Olympics in Milano-Cortina, which saw Canada’s weakest Winter Games medal count since 2002, the Canadian Olympic Committee issued an urgent plea for increased funding.
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The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees lobbied unsuccessfully for a $144-million increase in annual core funding for national sport organizations in the 2025 budget.
Ottawa has indicated it wants national sport organizations to spread the new money across all levels of sport and not to reserve it just for high-level athletes in international competition.
Ottawa also says the money is meant to build up a strong and safe sport system, following a call from the Future of Sport in Canada Commission for funding to allow all national sport organizations to hire their own safe sport officers.
No. No more money for sports since it is of NO BENEFIT for any of us taxpayers, AT ALL. I watch as these athletes get financially supported by all us taxpayers and then they are the ONLY ONES HOW MAKE MONEY OFF THE COMMERCIALS that they make after. IF it is of no benefit to taxpayers financially then we should NOT be forced to financially support them all. Free country and it is MY MONEY, NOT their money they LOVE TO use to PAY FOR ALL THEIR IDEA’s. I say NO to increasing my cost of living just so a politician can force me to financially support an athlete.
” $660 million over the next five years for national sport organizations”
Yet many Canadians don’t have access to clean drinking water. If one wants to do sports or other recreation activity they should fund it themselves or get their fans to pay for it. It should not be my responsibility to pay for their entertainment.