National Roundtables on Future High Performance Sport Funding

QUÉBEC CITY

April 14, 2004

Chair:

The Honourable Hélène C. Scherrer
Minister of Canadian Heritage

Main Themes

• Athlete Assistance Program: the amount given to athletes has not changed since the 2000 increase, it should be indexed.
• Desirable to increase the amount given to Senior Cards holders, because in some sports, such as fencing, athletes participate in 23 World Cup events in Europe . They spend most of their time there. Although the money paid covers basic expenses and rent, there are extra expenses for travel and hotels.
• The Senior Card is valid for 4 years while in some sports; an athlete needs 6 years to reach standards. It should be extended.
• Athletes have problems to continue post-secondary studies while pursuing their career. It would be desirable for post-secondary institutions to be more flexible to allow athletes to pursue both activities.
• As for the post-career, and in considering the fact that the age of maturity of athletes' increases, they're professional and personal needs change. Although the post-career of athletes is part of National Centres' mandates, little is available to deliver such programs and it is not promoted. Therefore, there are few services available to meet those kinds of needs.
• Coaches must be recognized as professionals. It would be desirable to pursue the development of competencies and establish a form of pay equity. There are few study programs dedicated to training. For example, this shortage forces, in some cases, coaches being recruited in Europe . A program for developing coaches such as La Relève would be desirable . The average salary of a judo coach, for example, is $17,000. The challenge to align the quality of life and the work of coaching is significant and has impacts on the sport system. It would be desirable to better pay coaches and recognize the profession.
• Canada loses many specialists such as coaches. In the long term, there is a need to increase national levels, to have more professional coaches. Relying on volunteer coaches is inefficient in regards to athletes' development plans. It would be desirable to ensure continuity.
• As for the management of infrastructures, it would be desirable to have resources other than volunteers to ensure stability. Also, we need to meet their operation costs.
• It would be desirable to favor a holistic approach rather than an approach by sector. For example, developing a cross-country skiing athlete requires between 10 -15 years; the athlete performs when 25-30 years old. The list for potential candidates decreases in some sports, because it is becoming increasingly difficult to invest in basic development activities. It would be desirable to target development .
• Choices need to be made: priority sports that have medal potential for the Vancouver Games of 2010, those who support the 4 pillars and a portion for development. We need to find the right balance between these targets.
• We have to be careful, if medal objectives are not reached, we could be tempted to slash in the support as a result.
• NSOs are doing extraordinary work, Sport Canada programs are effective; and there is a need for additional funds for those programs.
• We need to increase the number of athletes and coaches benefiting from such programs.
• Priority, coaches, but the $10 million are not enough. We need to give this money to NSOs and they will decide what the priorities are.
• Focus is on development and coaches.
• Medals are a public good that allow models to emerge and foster participation. Participation and medals constitute the so-called public good.
• Available Sport Canada's programs and tools are effective. Accountability mechanisms exist and are effective. They aim at maximizing resources and rely on the 4 pillars identified in The Canadian Sport Policy . However, resources are not sufficient to reach The Canadian Sport Policy objectives. National Sport Organizations can decide on these new investments. They all have strategic plans in support of the Canadian Sport Policy.
• Taxation could be used as a leverage to help middle-class families support athletes. It would be desirable to reduce participation costs of young people in sport by offering tax incentives to their parents. These incentives could also be considered for corporations and companies wishing to support athletes. This could be a solution to consider .
• Regrouping associations servicing the same clients or needs could be wise in order to cut some operating costs. Some National Sport Organizations have been in a survival mode for many years. Under these conditions, development is restricted . Several sports, such as modern pentathlon and triathlon, do not receive funding from Sport Canada.
• It would be desirable to favor a more decentralized access to athletes' services, since social and intellectual components of an athlete's life are important. On one hand, there are no or few regional centers for developing athletes and on the other hand, there are good infrastructures for high performance athletes in big cities. There is however an unbalance between Eastern and Western Canada in the number and quality of infrastructures. In the case of speed skating, the high performance centre is in Calgary . Athletes must leave their region to study, a situation that is not necessarily desirable.
• It would be desirable to see some flexibility that would allow some sports, victims of their own success, able to meet the needs resulting from an increased demand. For example, the number of athletes in speed skating has increased faster than the availability of resources.
• The distribution of extra resources will require more accountability from the beneficiaries.

Other Comments

• There have been several consultations on Sports; this exercise must deliver something meaningful.
• To support high performance sports, needs vary from $50 Million to double the current funding.
• It is to be reminded that investments in Sports have an impact on health care needs