Everyone into the pool: Canada's sports bodies grapple with push toward merging organizations

If you could blow up the Canadian sport system and start over, what would it look like?

It’s a question many leaders across Canadian sport are grappling with as the industry gets boosted by increased government funding in the wake of a March report from the Future of Sport in Canada Commission that called it “fragmented” and “inconsistent,” among other concerns.

One solution that was recommended in that 952-page report aimed at reducing fragmentation among the 64 national sports organizations (NSOs) and myriad provincial and community bodies that collectively govern sport in the country.

“By reducing duplication and redundancies, amalgamation would result in financial and human resource gains that could be redirected to program delivery benefitting athletes and participants while reinvigorating the sport system overall,” the report stated.

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The process is already starting on some levels. On Oct. 29, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton and Luge Canada announced they were planning a full merger, backed by $3 million in support from the federal government. 

“Canada’s sport system is changing, and we would rather lead that change than wait for it,” Kien Tran, the CEO of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, said in a statement. “Bringing our organizations together creates efficiencies, gives us greater scale and strengthens our ability to attract investment and partnerships. Ultimately, that means more capacity to invest in our athletes, coaches and programs and build a stronger future for Canadian sliding sports.”

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Canadian sliding sports to unite under one umbrella

Other amalgamations could be on the way,