Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches are set to receive $3.11 million in funding for mental health services this winter. The announcement was made by Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverden, an Olympic kayak champion, in Montreal ahead of the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Van Koeverden emphasized the importance of ensuring uninterrupted mental health services for athletes well in advance of the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics. The funding, part of the federal government’s $16 million commitment in the 2024 budget to support athlete well-being, aims to address maltreatment, concussions, mental health issues, and promote inclusion and accessibility.
The $3.11 million allocated for 2025-26 will be divided among the national network of sport institutes, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Karen O’Neill, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, highlighted the critical role of mental health support in creating a healthy high-performance environment centered around athlete well-being.
A portion of the funding will go towards Game Plan, a collaborative effort aimed at assisting athletes in their development and wellness throughout their careers and into retirement. Van Koeverden stressed the importance of athletes being able to rely on mental health support services provided by training centers and performance psychologists.
The International Olympic Committee’s Mental Health Action Plan, launched in 2023, underlined the prevalence of anxiety and depression among elite athletes, with a 2019 study revealing that 34% of them experience these mental health challenges. The funding aims to ensure that athletes have access to essential mental health services as they prepare for the upcoming winter games in Italy.