New Program Creates Invictus Games Legacy for Parasport Athletes
Ontario is boosting support for amateur athletes across the province to further the development of a vibrant and inclusive amateur sports system.
This year, Ontario is supporting 57 provincial sport organizations and multi-sport organizations across the province, to deliver high-quality programming and encourage lifelong engagement and participation in sport and physical activity.
The province is also supporting the Ontario – Parasport Strong strategy, a legacy of the 2017 Invictus Games, to increase opportunities for people living with physical disabilities to participate in sport. This program includes:
- A dedicated grant program for Provincial Sport Organizations and Multi-sport Organizations to support the development of parasport programming and build system capacity.
- High performance enhancements to parasport through the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario.
- Support for the Coaches Association of Ontario to recruit and train coaches and technical officials on parasport-focused programming.
- A physical literacy parasport pilot project that will be delivered by the Ontario Parasport Collective, in conjunction with the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
Investing in sport, recreation and active living is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
Quick Facts
- In 2017-18, Ontario is investing $820,000 for Ontario – Parasport Strong to support the development of parasport in the province as a legacy to the 2017 Invictus Games.
- Ontario is also investing over $16 million for two years through the Ontario Amateur Sport Fund to support 57 recognized Provincial Sport Organizations and Multi-Sport Organizations, as well as 3 organizations that support student athlete sport at postsecondary organizations.
- In 2016, Ontario launched a new Sport Recognition Policy that requires recognized provincial and multi-sport organizations to maintain a Concussion Management and Return to Play policy, which outlines procedures to identify and manage concussions based on the International Concussion Consensus Guidelines.
- Ontario’s renewed Sport Recognition Policy also includes an inclusion policy to ensure equal and fair opportunities for women and girls to participate in sport and have equal access to board positions, programming, training and coaching.
- The Ontario Amateur Sport Fund and Ontario – Parasport Strong support GameON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan which aims to create opportunities for all Ontarians to get involved in sport.
Additional Resources
Quotes
“These programs will support amateur athletes as they strive to excel in their sport, while increasing access to high quality sport programs. Working with our partners, we can continue to encourage as many people as possible to participate in sports.”
“This tremendous ongoing support from the province will truly advance parasport at every level in Ontario. This investment will have a lasting impact for all athletes with a disability and provide increased opportunities for participation. Together, with our partners, we will all focus on initiatives to increase awareness, participation and leadership development for parasport in Ontario.”
Karen O’Neill
“We truly appreciate the tremendous efforts and support of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and applaud the new Ontario – Parasport Strong program. This support enables even stronger levels of creation, implementation and support of programming to reach our common goals in supporting athletes with a disability in sport through participation, development and excellence.”
Susan Kitchen
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