CANADIAN SPORT RECEIVES FUNDING BOOST

The announcement, made during last Thursday's federal budget, means that Canadian spending on its top athletes will top US$62 million for each of the next two years. It formed part of a bumper crop of budget increases for Canadian sport, partly intended to cover the shortfall in sponsorship revenue that will result from competing in post-Vancouver Olympics on foreign soil.

In his budget speech, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty called on Canadians to "savour the achievements" of the country's athletes, adding: "Let us look forward to the achievements of our Paralympic champions in the days to come. Let us take them as our models, a reminder of what we are made of, what Canadians can achieve."

Another US$9.75 million was pledged over two years to help identify and develop amateur athletes, with US$9.75 million going to the Canadian Paralympic committee, US$1.95 million to Special Olympics Canada, and US$6.85 million to the ParticipACTION healthy lifestyle campaign over the same period.