March 23, 2004 (Toronto, On) – The Canadian Olympic Committee expressed disappointment today that the Martin government chose not to invest additional funding to support Canadian athletes in its 2004 Budget.

“With Canada hosting the Olympic Winter Games in 2010, the time is now to invest in Canadian athletes,” said COC President Michael Chambers. “The current low level of government investment in sport will not achieve the Olympic results Canadians desire and our athletes deserve.”

The COC has been advocating for increased government investment in sport to move Canada closer to the spending levels of our major international competitors. Most recently, representatives of the sport community, including the COC, Sport Matters, Athletes Can, National Sport Federations and Olympic athletes met with Members of Parliament, Senators and senior government officials in February to present their vision for amateur sport in Canada and advocate for increased government funding for sport and physical activity.

“Sport has always played an important role in the lives of Canadians,” said Chambers. “It is an essential component of our culture not only in terms of the national pride that is fostered when Canadian athletes win Olympic gold but also in terms of the benefit to our health and well being from participating in sport and physical activity. There's also a significant return on investment in sport in terms of reduced health care costs.”

The COC and other sport leaders have pledged to continue to advocate on behalf of the sport community for increased federal funding for sport and athletes.

The COC is a private, not-for-profit corporation and the largest private funder of high performance sport in Canada. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games. In addition, the COC manages a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. For more information, visit the COC website at www.olympic.ca.