Canada could double Olympic athlete funding while cutting government spending in half. Here’s how

In the current system, NSOs serve the government, not athletes. When your revenue comes from Sport Canada grants, your real customer is the bureaucracy. NSOs spend enormous energy on grant applications and compliance paperwork instead of coaching, competing, and winning. Government has become the bank. What we need is for the government to become the referee. The oligopoly problem Meanwhile, Canada’s culture of monopolies has created a competition problem. Not just for shoppers, but for athletes as well. The way Olympic sponsorship is set up lets only a few companies play: one broadcaster, one bank, one grocer, etc. We’ve recreated the same corporate monopolies that Canadians already loathe here at home. It’s time to open up the playing field to mid-sized providers and end the exclusivity. Setting ourselves up for failure Add this together, and Canada is left sending athletes to compete against the world’s best, while paying them below living wages. We are showing up to a Formula 1 race in a Honda Civic. With Canadians facing tariff threats, a cost-of-living crisis, and deep political division, why should we care about funding athletes? Because sport is one of the last things that still unites us as a country. When a Canadian wins gold, it doesn’t matter if you’re in Calgary or Quebec City, whether you vote Liberal or Conservative. You are proud. For those few minutes, we’re all on the same team and reminded that we really are capable of being world-class. Here’s how we can multiply those moments. Double athlete funding, cut government in half  1. Direct sports betting revenue to NSOs  Canada legalized single-event sports betting in 2021. The market is $14 billion annually and growing. Sports betting companies profit from athlete performances, yet the sport system doesn’t see any of that revenue. Instead, we should mandate that every operator contribute 0.7 percent of total wagers to NSOs. This would generate $100 million annually. 2. Create Team Canada savings accounts with 50 percent  tax credits  Any Canadian should be able to contribute to a Team Canada savings account for a verified national team athlete. If you contribute $5,000, you should be able to get $2,500 back as a 50 percent federal tax credit. Funds would go to approved training expenses. Every account would be public and fully transparent. CRA-style audits and fraud penalties would apply. You could see exactly where your money is going. This wouldn’t be another charity. It would be new infrastructure that removes friction. I calculate this could mean $50- $75 million ending up in the pockets of Canadian athletes. 3. Extend the 50 percent tax credit to corporate donations to NSOs  The same 50 percent tax credit should apply when businesses donate directly to NSOs. This would break up the oligopoly model. I calculate this could bring in $30-$40 million in new corporate donations annually. Double the current rate Canadian athletes receive from $36 million dollars to $75 million. For the NSOs, up the government contributions from $178 million to $215 million. How? Add $100 million from betting profits, $35 million from corporate sponsorships, and $80 million from the government. That 20 per cent increase means less dependency on government funding (from $211 million down to $98 million). All told, the new funding would be 44 percent from the government and 56 percent from the private sector. By opening up funding opportunities, the system no longer relies so much on the state. Why this would work  By following this plan, athletes would get more money with less bureaucracy. NSOs would be better funded with 55 percent less government dependency. Businesses would get a clear ROI. Taxpayers would save $98 million. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics (where Canada won 14 gold medals, the most ever by a host nation) proved we know how to win when we commit to it. We didn’t forget how to win. We just stopped building systems that make winning possible without forcing athletes into poverty. Policymakers can cut the deficit while increasing support for champions. Businesses can get a transparent pathway to invest. Everyday Canadians could change an athlete’s life. When Canada rewards excellence, we send a signal about what kind of country we’re building. We need to create a Canada worth investing in.