Targets for Athlete Performance and the Sport System

training is incorporated into the service offering at the institutes. The Austrian Ski School and the
Sport Etudes program in Quebec are other examples of innovative partnerships and scheduling to
provide athletes the opportunity to train and complete their academic training.
In Canada, select support services are delivered to training groups through the CSCs, but
Calgary and Montreal are the only quasi facility-based CSCs that include all the elements required
to be internationally competitive with the top sporting nations. One of the weaknesses with the
CSC concept is that they were designed to be virtual centres that provide services to athletes, but
not solve the more expensive problem of access to quality facilities to train in.
Recommendations: The desired actions and outcomes in this area require involvement and
collaboration from NSOs, PSOs, the Canada Games Association, the national funding partners,
provincial education ministries, and the F-P/T partners. Canada needs to create an internationally
competitive network of facility based national and regional training institutes that are fully
subsidized for priority sports and athletes and includes the following:
• Critical mass of world class athletes
• World class coaching
• World class facilities and equipment
• Sport science, nutrition, sport psychology, medical and alternative health care
support services
• Opportunities for domestic and international competition
• Residential facilities and meal options
• PSO support of development level athlete training groups integration
Furthermore, there is a need to create a system of sport schools similar to the Quebec Sport
Etudes program in every city with population greater than 50,000. The sport schools will provide
flexible schedules for athletes to complete training and academics, as well as the access to facilities
during non peak hours during the day. They can also contribute to the further development of team
sports by creating a higher level competitive network for school-based sports.
5. Competitive Programs with International Exposure
Successful sporting nations have well-structured competitive programmes with ongoing
international exposure. In Canada, athletes with medal potential and junior athletes have limited
exposure to important international competition. This is especially the case for sports that involve
World Cup Circuits or international events that are mostly based in Europe (fencing, volleyball,
alpine skiing, bobsleigh) or in Asia (judo, badminton, taekwondo). Furthermore, the 4-year Canada
Games cycle creates void in domestic competition for junior athletes. Athletes may miss the
opportunity to compete in the Canada Games simply because they are not the right age, at the right
time for their sport. The age limits for some sports at the Canada Games do not fit with the long
term athlete development plan, with the result being that athletes that are not part of an NSOs high
performance development plan participate in the Canada Games, while athletes that are part of the
high performance plan are excluded. Finally, there is very little opportunity for elite domestic
competition for many of the team sports in Canada especially in the post-university age group.
Athlete Performance and Sport System Targets, Evaluation, and Investment Page 32