If preparations for the Paris Olympic Games are going well, the future is worrying according to the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), which says it is “extremely worried” about the financial health of the federations.
Before last spring’s federal budget, the COC and the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) called on the government to increase recurring funding of $104 million for national sports federations, whose support from Sport Canada is stagnating for two decades and who have increasingly heavy tasks.
The system “is on the verge of a crisis,” said COC CEO and General Secretary David Shoemaker.
This request found no echo in the 2024 budget, noted instead for the increase in taxes on capital gains. Only the Athlete Assistance Program has been increased by 7 million for the next five years.
While he applauds the increase in direct funding for athletes, COC sports chief Eric Myles questions its value in a context where several federations are struggling to make ends meet.
“It can’t be a way to avoid seeing the elephant in the room,” said Myles in an interview with La Presse last week. The senior COC official drew a parallel with the education sector: “You may have great scholarships for students, but if you don’t have good universities or good teachers, you’re not going anywhere. go. It’s the same thing in sport. »
Leading the “team behind the team” in Paris, Myles says everything is in place for Canadian athletes to be successful. The next Olympic cycle could be very different.
“It’s extremely worrying. I look at the situation of people who work in the sports system, post-Paris, how things are currently held at arm’s length…”
The COC and CPC called on Deloitte to conduct an analysis. The consulting firm arrives at the figure of 104 million by taking into account three parameters:
– 20 million to compensate for inflation of 50% since 2005 (year from which the basic funding of Sport Canada has practically not changed);
– 56.8 million to make permanent one-off funding dedicated to gender equality, safe sport and removing barriers to participation;
– 26.8 million to face the growing deficit with which the federations will have to deal in carrying out their mission.
“Rapidly increasing expenses and capping revenues mean that more than 90% of national sports organizations are expected to record increasing deficits over the next five years,” reads the missive sent to the government and political parties. the opposition.
To curb this “disastrous financial situation”, the COC and the CPC are proposing, among other things, the use of GST proceeds on sports betting, a measure which would have generated revenues of 60 million in Ontario during the last fiscal year.
“Yes, the government is being asked in a significant way, but it is the federal, provincial, local and private companies [that must participate],” relaunched Myles, highlighting Quebec’s efforts in this area. “It’s a social issue. Christie, these are our young people! »
In his eyes, the Paris Games represent an opportunity to recall the unifying nature of sport: “Everyone will be proud, millions of people will be glued to their screens, people will want to take photos with the athletes. But we must support them. »
After Sport Canada, a federal agency, the COC is the second largest funder of the federations. “We have increased year after year, but it falls into the void or it doesn’t show. »
The former general director of Québec en forme affirms that such a commitment is in line with the desire to get a greater number of young and old people moving.
“How much has an Alex Despatie – or other Canadian and Quebecois athletes – been able to motivate and arouse our passion? Myles asked. For me, elite sport and participatory sport are not one or the other. We need both. »
