Secretary of State van Koeverden announces Canada Strong through sport: The Playground to Podium Summit
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Canada Strong through sport: The Playground to Podium Summit represents an inflection point in Canada's year of sport, bringing the sport community together to advance transformation and strengthen Canada's sport system
CALGARY, AB, Sept. 11, 2026 /CNW/ -- Sport has the power to shape lives and connect people in ways that very few things can. It brings communities together and creates opportunities to participate, belong and pursue excellence. Talent is everywhere in our country, and opportunity should be too. Our government is building Canada Strong for all, and with proven nation-building tools like sport, we will do just that from the playground to the podium.
As we celebrate Canada's year of sport, our country has a generational opportunity to strengthen and transform the sport system so it can better serve Canadians in the years ahead. To help advance that work, the Honourable Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport), announced in Calgary that Canada will host Canada Strong through sport: The Playground to Podium Summit on November 9 and 10 in Ottawa.
Sport is our strength and our ultimate nation builder. In April's Spring Economic Update, we made a generational $1-billion investment in sport, the largest in our country's history. From upgrading stadiums, fields and community centres, to better supporting Team Canada athletes, by lowering barriers to grassroots participation, and bringing more world-class sporting events to Canada, we are investing in Canada and Canadians.
Anchored in five pillars, build, protect, perform, participate, and host, the Summit is the next step in building on that momentum, bringing partners together to create an opportunity for new ideas and alignment, and set the stage for transformation. This represents a new era for sport in our country, an opportunity to lead, grow, innovate and improve. To deliver on results for Canadians and strengthen our world-class sport system, participants will gather and work together to build Canada Strong through sport, through a new federal funding framework, increased alignment and efficiencies across the sector, and by deepening partnerships with the private and philanthropic sectors.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with partners to ensure that every Canadian can benefit from a stronger, safer and more sustainable sport system.
Quotes
"Sport has the power to shape lives and connect people in ways that very few things can. Canada Strong through sport: The Playground to Podium Summit represents an inflection point in Canada's year of sport. It will bring the sport community together around our shared goals: build, perform, protect, participate and host, create opportunities for new ideas and collaboration, and set the stage for transformation. At the Summit, we will advance the ambitious vision we laid out in April to strengthen our sport system and build Canada Strong, from the playground to the podium."
--The Honourable Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport)
Quick Facts
The Spring Economic Update 2026 provided $755 million over five years, starting in 2026–27, and $118 million on a permanent basis to Canadian Heritage to help Canada's sport system to:
Host and compete with the best: $50 million over five years to bring more world-class sporting events to Canada. Funding will be tied to legacy-building projects that deliver lasting benefits well beyond the events themselves. Facilities built or upgraded for major events will continue to serve communities, support grassroots participation and strengthen local sport systems for years to come.
Support our athletes and the next generation in performing at the highest levels: $45 million over five years and $8 million on an ongoing basis to help our athletes train, compete and perform, including support for better mental health and funding that will be linked to robust safe sport measures and frameworks. These actions will strengthen the sport system and respond to some of the findings of the Final Report of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission while the government continues to consider all its recommendations.
Get more Canadians involved in sport: $660 million over five years and $110 million on an ongoing basis for sport organizations, increasing funding that has remained largely unchanged since 2005, so they can invest in a strong and safe sport system and expand participation among children and youth across Canada. We want sport organizations to work with private sector partners who share the goal of getting more Canadians involved in sport. We also expect sport organizations to make changes to their programming to invest in sport at all levels.
Associated Links
Reports -- Future of Sport in Canada Commission
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Bahoz Dara Aziz, Director of Communications, Office of the Secretary of State (Sport), [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, [email protected]
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