Government of Canada Reiterates its Support for the COPSI Network

Winnipeg, MB – The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, 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 that provide world-class training, sport medicine, sport science and lifestyle services and support to Canada’s top athletes and coaches.

Minister Glover was joined by Canadian sport leaders and athletes as they toured the Active Living Centre at the University of Manitoba.

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 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 $435,800 to the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba.
• In the four years prior to the London 2012 and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, the Government invested over $1.5 million and $1.6 million, respectively, in the programs and services provided by the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba. 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 Manitoba with what they need to compete—including over $1.3 million to the Centre between 2013–14 and the end of 2015–16.
• The Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba provides service to approximately 90 carded athletes and 30 national level coaches.
• 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

“What a fantastic time for sport in Canada, particularly in the province of Manitoba and the city of Winnipeg. With the declaration of the Year of Sport in both Canada and Manitoba, communities across the region are celebrating the power of sport in benefitting both individuals and communities. The high-performance athletes being served through the world-class support of the team at the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba are a source of pride, and I know the people of Winnipeg and those across the province will cheer our Canadian athletes loudly and proudly during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 in a couple of months’ time right here in Winnipeg, and later at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.”

—The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

“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)

“The young people who train at the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba have great support from the Government of Canada. When we come together as a nation to cheer on our athletes, we are able to do so in large part thanks to the efforts of Sport Canada and the Canadian government. I am fortunate to see, every day, the impact this ongoing commitment is having on the athletes at the CSCManitoba. Our athletes require teams of experts to help them: scientists, mental performance coaches and nutritionists. This funding allows our athletes to play on a level playing field in international competitions and provides the kind of support that is essential to reach athletic success.”

—Jeff Powell, General Manager, Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba

For more information (media only), please contact:

Robert Lynch
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Bal Gosal, P.C., M.P.
Minister of State (Sport)
819-934-1122
robert.lynch@sports.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca