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Sport Canada

Jurisdiction	Sports in Canada
Founded	1971 (1971)
Headquarters	Gatineau
Sponsor	Canadian Heritage
Official website
canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1413910841375

Sport Canada is a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage.^[1] Its mission is "to enhance opportunities for all Canadians to participate and excel in sport."^[2] Sport Canada develops federal sport policy in Canada, provides funding programs in support of sport, and administers special projects related to sport.^[3]

Funding from Sport Canada is provided through the Athlete Assistance Program, which gives direct financial support to selected national team athletes; the Sport Support Program, which funds national sports organizations; and the Hosting Program, which helps sport organizations to host the Canada Games and international sport events.^[4] Sport Canada special projects include research projects; projects aimed at increasing participation in sport;^[5] the Long-Term Athlete Development Model; and Podium Canada, consisting of the Own the Podium and Road to Excellence programs, aimed at improving Canada's performance at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.^[6]

For much of its existence, responsibility for Sport Canada was given to a junior Cabinet Minister reporting to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. In 2015, Sport Canada became the responsibility of the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, a full Cabinet position. The current minister is Kirsty Duncan.^[7]

Funding

There are three major sport funding programs that are run by Sport Canada: The Athlete Assistance Program, the Sport Support Program, and the Hosting Program. These programs “provide financial assistance to our high-performance athletes, advance the objectives of the Canadian Sport Policy, and help Canadian organizations host sport events that create opportunities for Canadians to compete at the national and international level.”^[8]

Athlete Assistance Program: The Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) has a goal of providing funds to athletes throughout their training and preparations before and during National and International Games. Funding provided by the APP can be granted to Canadian athletes who meet the proper eligibility requirements. It is recommended for athletes who request the assistance of the AAP to live and train within the country, however, as long as the request is justified by the National Sport Organization, an exception may be granted for certain Canadian athletes to receive funding from the Athlete Assistance Program.

Sport Support Program: The Sport Support Program (SSP) was created for the benefit of Canadian athletes and coaches in order to expand and enhance their developmental journey. “Funding is provided to eligible organizations for programming that is aligned with the goals of the Canadian Sport Policy.”^[9] The Sport Support Program (SSP) is distributed through 3 sectors including: National Sport Organizations (NSO), National Multisport Organizations (MSO), and Canadian Sport Centers.

Hosting Program: The Hosting Program is distributed through four sectors: International Major Multisport Games (Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and Pan and Parapan American Games, etc.), International Single Sport Events, International Multisport Games for Aboriginal Peoples and Persons with a Disability, and Canada Games which are the largest Canadian Games. “The Program contributed to sport excellence and enhances the international profile of sport organizations in Canada. It also delivers economic, social and cultural benefits to Canadian communities.”^[10]

Sport Organizations

The Government of Canada, more specifically Sport Canada, invest funds and hard work into national level athletes and sporting events through the Sport Support Program (SSP). National Sport Organizations (NSOs), National Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs) and Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes are the three major Sport Organizations that receive help from Sport Canada in order to provide “a role in supporting amateur sport or in promoting an active and healthy lifestyle for Canadians.”^[11]

National Sport Organizations (NSOs): NSOs are organizations that represent a specific national sport in Canada. Each National Sport Organization has a duty to oversee all that impacts its national sport, it selects and manages the yearly team roster and provides “professional development for coaches and officials in their sport.”^[12] There are currently 58 National Sport Organizations in Canada.

National Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs): MSOs are organizations that focus on coordination. They execute and convey amenities to the sport community in Canada. National Multisport Service Organizations provide learning opportunities for Canadian coaches, “support for Aboriginal peoples in sport and national coordination for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG)”,^[13] they focus on promotion to increase Canadian participation in sport and much more. There are currently 24 MSOs that are granted funding from Sport Canada to date.

Canadian Sport Institutes and Centres: This Canadian Sport Organization was developed with the purpose of partnering with many sectors such as Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Coaching Association of Canada and the provincial governing bodies. “The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute (COPSI) Network is a group of designated multisport training centres established in Canada recognized by Sport Canada and Own the Podium and supported by national and provincial partners including the CAC, the COC, the CPC in partnership with (7) different provinces or regions across Canada.”^[14] The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute (COPSI) Network “supports the development of high performance sport in Canada through a network of training environments as well as through collaboration with National Sport Organization, national partners, provincial and local governments as well as the private sector to provide more opportunities for high performance athletes and coaches.”^[15] o There are currently 7 Organizations that are funded by Sport Canada. These Canadian Sport Centres are located in Calgary, Montreal, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Canadian Pacific Region and in Atlantic Canada. These organizations not only provide training facilities for Canadian athletes but also promote innovation, sport science, sport medicine and coaching within Canada.

Governing Bodies

Sport Canada funds various governing bodies for sports in Canada including:

• Athletics Canada


• Baseball Canada


• Canadian Blind Sport Association


• Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association


• Cycling Canada Cyclisme


• Canadian Fencing Federation


• Canadian Soccer Association


• Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Association


• Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association


• Canadian Yachting Association


• Equine Canada


• Federation of Canadian Archers


• Judo Canada


• Rowing Canada Aviron


• Rugby Canada


• Shooting Federation of Canada


• Swimming Natation Canada


• Table Tennis Canada


• Tennis Canada


• Volleyball Canada

See also

• Sports in Canada

References

Further reading

• 
  Sport Policy in Canada from the University of Ottawa Press
  

External links

• Sport Canada