The federal government is doubling its annual investment in the Next Gen athlete program to $10 million, money that will be matched dollar-for-dollar by private-sector donors beginning this year.
The announcement, made Thursday by the federal government, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, brings total annual public-private investment in the program to more than $20 million.
Launched in 2017, Next Gen supports emerging high-performance athletes on the path to future Olympic and Paralympic Games, providing access to coaching, training environments, competition opportunities and sport science expertise.
Of the athletes who came through the Next Gen program, the COC says 401 have gone on to the Olympic Games and 134 to the Paralympic Games.
The governing body says 62 per cent of Canada's Olympians at the Milan Cortina Games benefited from Next Gen support, including 15 of the country's 21 medallists.
On the Paralympic side, 65 per cent of the team received help from the program, accounting for 16 of Canada's 30 medallists.
“Canada’s top athletes are a great source of pride for our entire country, and our government is committed to investing in their success on the world stage,” said Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State for Sport, in a statement. “Through this innovative partnership with the private sector, we’re bringing new investment into Canadian sport to support the next generation of Team Canada athletes.”
Thursday’s announcement comes as the federal government continues to ramp up its investment in a national sport system that has been described as chronically underfunded.
In April's spring economic update, Ottawa injected $755 million over five years, with another $118 million each year after, to help host international sporting events, support athletes and boost participation in sport.
The government also announced last week that more than 60 national sports organizations will share $60 million in additional federal funding.
Ottawa, through the Build Communities Strong Fund, also committed $26 million toward Calgary's Olympic Oval in July and $76 million to build a new national basketball centre in Toronto in September.
