Canada sports organizations face crisis without extra funding, says COC

TORONTO : The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) on Monday called on the federal government to increase financial support to national sport organizations, which it says are overstretched and face a substantial reduction in services and programs.

A Deloitte study commissioned by the COC and Canadian Paralympic Committee said the country's 61 national sports organizations need an extra C$104 million ($76.61 million) in direct funding annually.

Core funding for the bodies that govern amateur sports across Canada has been unchanged since 2005.

Without additional funding, a five-year forecast showed the organizations would run a deficit of C$134 million while attempting to deliver on their primary mandates.

The COC said Canada's sport system is struggling to keep up with rising costs. Support for athletes at all levels will suffer without an increase to funding and the system risks taking a step backwards, it added.

"We have known this was a growing issue but seeing the numbers in black and white really highlight that we're on the brink of a crisis," COC's CEO David Shoemaker said in a statement.

"NSOs (national sports organizations) cannot continue on this trajectory. They can't run deficits, and if nothing changes difficult decisions will have to be made."

($1 = 1.3576 Canadian dollars)