Canadian government allots $3.11 million in mental-health funding to athletes

Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches will get $3.11 million in funding for mental health services this winter.

Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverden, an Olympic kayak champion, made the announcement Monday in Montreal.

The money comes from the federal government's $16-million commitment in the 2024 budget to support the well-being of athletes and coaches.

That funding over two years was designated to prevent and address maltreatment, support people with concussions and mental-health issues and advance inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.

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The $3.11 million for 2025-26 will be distributed between the national network of sport institutes, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

Canada's Olympic and Paralympic committees have asked for a $144-million increase in annual core funding, that national sports organizations use as the foundation of their operations, in the next federal budget on Tuesday, Nov. 4.