David Tilson MP — Be sure to support our Olympian and Paralympian Athletes in Sochi

February 14, 2014 · 0 Comments

Just as the world’s top athletes gather in Sochi for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Canadians from coast to coast to coast will also come together to support our athletes in their pursuit of excellence.
The achievements of our Canadian athletes at home and around the world are an enormous source of pride for all Canadians.
Our government is proud to be the single largest investor of amateur sport in Canada, as we support participation from the playground to the podium. Research consistently indicates that sports and recreation play an important role in personal health and quality of life. This is why our government offers continued support for community-based programs like ParticipACTION, to help promote active and healthy lifestyles among all Canadians.
In all, our government invests nearly $200 million annually in Canada’s sport organizations and athletes. Through our support for targeted measures like the Own the Podium initiative, we are helping provide the necessary support to high-performance Canadian athletes to compete on the international stage. Our investments are providing Canadian athletes with access to cutting-edge sport science and research, a world-class training environment and some of the best coaching in the world. Our government also invests $28 million a year in direct funding to Canadian athletes to help with the costs of living and training expenses, as well as post-secondary education.
Our government has delivered record support for our Winter Games athletes with a 20 per cent increase in funding for winter sports over the last four-year winter sport cycle. In turn, the participation of our Canadian athletes in the 2014 Sochi Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games serves as an opportunity to promote our culture and our values of openness, equality and fair play, as well as an opportunity to affirm Canada’s reputation as a leading sport nation.
The 2014 Sochi Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games are an incredible milestone in the sport careers of our athletes, a milestone achieved through years of training and dedication. The tenacity and accomplishments of our Canadian athletes are truly an inspiration to all Canadians and a reminder of the importance of harnessing the power of sport in living healthy and active lives.
As our Canadian athletes compete at the Games in Sochi, I would like to congratulate each and every one for their success in reaching this incredible milestone. Their dedication and drive, which has brought them to the 2014 Sochi Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, has already made Canadians across the country very proud. So as our Canadian athletes take on the world’s best athletes wearing the maple leaf, I wish each and every one the very best.
Go Canada go!