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Ontario Supporting Athletes in their Quest for Gold

Funding will help offset training and living expenses as athletes and coaches prepare to compete

September 10, 2020

TORONTO — The Ontario government is investing more than $21 million to help athletes and their coaches train in Ontario and continue their quest for gold. Funding will be provided to the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, Coaches Association of Ontario, and Quest for Gold Program.

The announcement was made today by Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, while visiting BMO Field. 

“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 Minister 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.”

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. 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/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 to support high-performance athletes and their coaches as they go for gold.

“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 Minister MacLeod.

The Quest for Gold program allows amateur athletes to focus on becoming the best in their sport, and improving Ontario’s and Canada’s standing at international competitions. Supporting athletes from playground to podium is important part of making Ontario one of the best places to train, compete and play sports.

Quick Facts

  • Quest for Gold athletes receive funding that helps offset costs of training and living expenses. This could include rent, costs to attend a training camp, equipment and tuition/education-related expenses.
  • The Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario provides top-quality training and development to emerging or existing Canadian Olympic or Paralympic Team members and many of Ontario’s provincial sport organizations.
  • The Coaches Association of Ontario delivers programs, including the National Coaching Certification Program, and supports the development of top-quality coaches who support the training and development of high-performance athletes.
  • Past Olympic medallists Penny Oleksiak, Andre De Grasse, and Gabrielle Daleman have received Quest for Gold funding. Of the 43 Ontario athletes who medaled at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympics, 34 were Quest for Gold athletes.