Ottawa hails ‘good era of Canadian sport’ while announcing more funding

CANADA Ottawa hails ‘good era of Canadian sport’ while announcing more funding By Sean Boynton Global News Posted July 27, 2026 4:03 pm 2 min read WATCH: Money and medals — Canadian Olympic officials push for more athlete funding – Feb 23, 2026 LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE The federal government said Monday that it will provide additional funding for Canadian athletes and invest in sport facility upgrades, after Canada saw its weakest Olympic medal performance in nearly four decades. Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden made the funding announcement at Calgary’s Olympic Oval speedskating facility, which will get $52 million for upgrades equally split between the federal and Alberta governments. Other ski racing and snowboard facilities in Alberta, including the Winsport Canada Olympic Park halfpipe in Calgary and the Nakiska National Ski Cross Training Centre in Kananaskis, will also receive funding from the $33.6-million total federal investment from the Build Communities Strong Fund. Van Koeverden also announced a $3-million top-up to the Athletic Assistance Program, which provides Canada’s high-performance athletes monthly cheques to help pay their bills. The new funding will bring the program’s yearly total to $43 million. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT “This is a good era of Canadian sport, because we’re making the largest investments our country has ever seen in sport, from the playground to the podium,” he said. Get breaking Montreal news Get breaking Montreal news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story. SIGN UP FOR BREAKING MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. Team Canada earned 21 medals at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy, but missed the medal table’s top 10 for the first time since the 1988 Games in Calgary. That year was also the last time Canada took more than a week to earn a gold medal. Freestyle skier Mikael Kingsbury earned Canada’s first gold of the Milan and Cortina Games on the ninth day of competition. Following that performance and a plea for more funding from the Canadian Olympic Committee, Ottawa set aside $660 million over the next five years for national sport organizations in the spring economic update, as…