Province investing $21 million to help train Ontario's amateur athletes

The Ontario government is investing more than $21 million to help athletes and their coaches train in the province.

On Thursday, Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries announced that the funding will be provided to the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, Coaches Association of Ontario, and Quest for Gold Program.

“This has been a challenging and unprecedented time for Ontario’s amateur athletes and sport sector, but today marks an important step in their recovery,” said MacLeod.

“Helping out high-performance athletes return to the podium is part of our government’s commitment to supporting a double bottom line, that drives our economy and strengthens our cultural fabric.”

Today I announced $21 Million to support Ontario’s high performance athletes through Quest for Gold, @coaches_ont & @CSIONTARIO! Thank you @CrystalEmm91 for joining us and good luck in @Tokyo2020 for @TeamCanada! pic.twitter.com/dcUwpmc7BW

— Lisa MacLeod (@MacLeodLisa) September 10, 2020

Through the Quest for Gold program, the Ontario government is providing $6.36 million in direct financial assistance to 1,438 “high-performance athletes to ensure they can pursue their dreams of excellence at home in Ontario.”

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According to the province, Quest for Gold athletes receive funding that helps offset costs of training and living expenses, which could include rent, costs to attend a training camp, equipment and tuition or education-related expenses.

The government is also providing up to $12.3 million to Canadian Sports Institute Ontario over three years, and up to $3.21 million to the Coaches Association of Ontario over three years too.

“As we gradually reopen the province safely, we are looking forward to the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games and other competitions, as 2021 is shaping up to be a marquee year for amateur sports in Ontario and around the world,” said MacLeod.

The province adds that the Quest for Gold program allows amateur athletes to focus on improving their skill set to be able to stand out at international competitions.