BRIEF FROM THE CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, OWN THE PODIUM & CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE

Executive Summary

Federal investments in the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of 2010 made possible the successful hosting of those Games and Canada’s best ever podium finish by our athletes. We now have a precious legacy to build upon in developing an even stronger high performance sport system in Canada. It has been proven that if we aim high and believe great things can be achieved.

The Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and Own the Podium join Sport Matters in a collective submission to the standing committee while taking the opportunity to elaborate on the high performance component.

The Sport Matters submission summarizes the three key sport recommendations with the following summary:

While there is much to celebrate in respect of our recent accomplishments and plans for the future, there is important work that remains to be completed in respect of the sport and physical activity file. The book, in other words, is not yet fully written when it comes to our high performance preparations, the health and physical fitness of our school-aged children and youth, and the levels of participation by younger Canadians in organized sport and recreation. This submission makes the case for three modest sets of initiatives that would result over time in a substantial curtailment in public expenditure on health care costs and contribute over the medium term to a balanced budget. We submit that there is urgency in addressing all three and that they are key components of the physical fitness and sport continuum that runs from Playground to Podium.^[1]

In summary, COC, CPC and OTP are requesting federal support for the following initiatives:

1.   The development of Canadian Sport Institutes that would see a recurring $12 M annual federal investment in these centres of excellence matched by provincial governments and the corporate sector;

2.   An investment of $13.5 M over six years in the creation of a national     Children’s Physical Literacy Achievement Award Initiative; and

3.   Making the existing Children’s Fitness Tax Credit fully refundable for       disadvantaged families.

The focus of recommendation 1 related to Canadian Sport institutes is to evolve from virtual centres to facility based institutes that provide a daily training environment including world class coaching and support services.

Background

Canadian Sport Centres (CSC’s) are currently located in seven locations across the country. In four of these locations, Victoria/Whistler, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, the movement to evolve into Canadian Sport Institutes has begun based on significant infrastructure opportunities which have occurred or are being planned. Each of these locations has a critical mass of national team athletes and training groups that enable the synergies and efficiencies of training in one location to be realized.

The development of Canadian Sport Institutes (CSI’s) is a crucial element of an effective high performance sport delivery system. The sites will become the focal points for our national team and developmental programs, the future Olympians and Paralympians, which are committed to providing sport specific and general training facilities required for world leading training for national team and for future national team athletes and coaches on a daily basis. Where facilities are not available at a single location, partnerships will be developed to meet the specific needs of the high performance sport community.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Own the Podium (OTP) have identified that the lack of fully operational CSI’s puts Canada at a competitive disadvantage in comparison to our international competitors. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Norway, the United States, Australia and China all have well established institute programs. Many other countries such as Spain, Austria, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, Cuba and the Netherlands have recognized the need to create performance hubs to maximize the training environment as well as to efficiently invest in high performance sport.

The CSI initiative is intended to develop synergies between sports, coaches and athletes to encourage the further development of excellence at each location. The development of a quality daily training environment which includes a critical mass of podium level athletes, coaches and training groups in dedicated high performance facilities with all the services and expertise in close proximity creates the major differentiator between the CSIs and the current Canadian Sport Centre network.

In Canada, many of the components for sustainable international success are in place and of course must be maintained and sustainably funded. In fact, the CSI initiative will foster the development of one of our strongest assets which is the close relationship that can occur between national and provincial partners in creating the conditions for accelerated development for younger athletes and coaches. Provincial governments are key partners in the high performance development pathway and share many of the same needs in their pursuit of success at the domestic level at events such as the Canada Games. Through strategic national and provincial collaboration, CSI’s can provide a focal point for sport science and sport medicine delivery, employment and education of coaches, and utilization of sport specific facilities which together will ensure that Canada has a truly effective high performance pathway for both Olympic and Paralympic sport.

The CSI model will only work with a committed local, provincial and national base of support. CSI’s are not only considered the finishing school for the top international athletes but also amount to a high performance pipeline running between provincial level activities and the national development team. As a result, the full commitment of local partners is required for long term success. Talent recruitment and retention will ensure sustainable success. This not only includes financial support but a commitment by facility operators for necessary upgrades and maintenance to ensure facilities remain at an international standard. The additional benefits such as business, education and facility partners that can be provided to athletes, coaches and training groups can be greatly enhanced by local and provincial part.

The movement towards development of the Canadian Sport Institute (CSI) network began about a decade ago. Five years ago, the identification of the need for CSI’s was articulated in the Road to Excellence business plan, published in 2006. Although the current individual Canadian Sport Centres (CSC’s) have been exploring opportunities to become more facility based operations, only limited programming resources have been applied to the area. Hence they are not being exploited to their full potential.

A variety of different factors have come together recently to create conditions for CSI projects to be successful. These include:

1.    A substantial national and provincial investment in infrastructure projects related to high performance sport. Some examples include:

                             I.        the WinSport development in Calgary,

                            II.        the creation of Pacific Institute of Sport Excellence (PISE) in Victoria

                           III.        the Olympic legacy facilities in Whistler

                          IV.        the re-profiling of the Tower of the Olympic Stadium site in Montreal by      the Government of Quebec to become the Institute national du sport du Quebec (INSQ).

As a result of these developments, one of the traditional barriers to the development of CSI’s has been addressed.

2.    The Greater Toronto Area’s successful bid to host the 2015 Pan American and Para-Pan American Games has finally provided the catalyst for high performance facilities as well as the Canadian Sport Institute to be developed in Ontario.

3.    An increase in provincial interest in investing in high performance programming. Ontario and British Columbia have been especially proactive in sport investments       over the past 3 years. Quebec has continued its leadership in the sector with       investments at the international podium, as well as the provincial high performance     level. While funding in Alberta has been reduced in the past year, the components of a successful pathway are being put in place.

The CSI project will involve a close coordination between OTP and Sport Canada along with the host provincial government. The primary need now is to provide appropriate program support that will create a world leading environment in each of the identified locations.

Budgetary Requests

Based on respective CSI’s business plans, a total investment of 24 million dollars is required of which $12 million would be from the federal government. In each case, these funds would be matched by provincial and local partners to create the total of $24 million.

Each location is at a different stage of development and therefore requires a different level of investment. The proposed new recurring investments from the federal government are as follows:

Montreal  $3.7 million

Calgary    $3.0 million

Toronto    $3.5 million

British Columbia      $1.8 million

TOTAL    $12 million per annum

The CSI initiative presents a unique opportunity to make an efficient, incremental investment in sport that will meet both national and provincial needs and improve Canada’s athletic performance at the very highest international levels. With a designated investment by national partners into CSIs, Canada can create winning conditions for our athletes and coaches and continue the Olympic and Paralympic success that the country experienced in Vancouver just over a year ago.

The CSI initiative is a significant part of the overall high performance system. The need to maintain the current level of high performance funding, both the core component to national sport organizations and the excellence component to Own the Podium are the key elements of the foundation which collectively we need to build upon.

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[1] Sport Matters Group 2011 Pre-Budget Submission to Standing Committee on Finance