The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is pleased with the Government of Canada's announcement on Friday of a $10.1 million increase in funds for carded athletes and for equipment purchases, sport science and sport medicine. "Increasing funding to directly benefit athletes is a fundamental step to ensure Canadian athletes can compete successfully at international levels," said Chris Rudge, COC Chief Executive Officer. "We have been advocating for this for over a year and we are pleased that Minister of State (Sport) Stephen Owen and the Martin government have responded to the needs of Canada's high performance athletes." "I am happy that the government has recognized that Canadian athletes need additional funding to train full time in order to compete with the best in the world," said Nicole Cargill, a member of Canada's synchronized swimming team that placed fifth in Athens. "Now that the Canadian government has come on board, I hope that the rest of Canada will get on board, too." The COC looks forward to continuing the discussion with Minister Owen on the allocation of the remaining $20 million announced in May as part of the Martin government's $30-million additional investment in high performance sport. The COC also wants this additional funding to become sustainable funding for the future as part of the annual budget for sport. "Today's announcement of an additional $5.5 million in funding for equipment purchases, sport science and sport medicine recognizes the need to strengthen the sport system in Canada including support for Canada's National Sport Federations, Canadian Sport Centres and coaches," said Rudge. "The COC looks forward to working with the government to continue to improve the sport system in Canada to help Canadian athletes reach the podium at upcoming Games." The COC, a private, not-for-profit corporation, is the largest private supporter of high performance sport in Canada. For more information see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.
