Thank you, Madam Chair, for the invitation to appear before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to elaborate on what we at Own the Podium do, how we do it and why we do it. It is an honour to be here.

It goes without saying that one safe sport issue in our system is one too many. We must all protect the physical and psychological safety of athletes and of everyone involved in high-performance sport in Canada. This may not be obvious to everyone, but it is an absolute non-negotiable.

OTP is a non-profit organization whose mission is to lead and to accelerate the development of Canadian sports, fundamentally, to achieve sustainable and improved performances at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have two mandates. The first is to provide leading-edge technical support to national sport organizations. The second is to prioritize investment recommendations by making expert-driven, collaborative funding recommendations based on evidence. Values are, and always will be, the cornerstone for all decision-making.

As it happens, we are in the midst today of an internal review to include an organizational purpose and revised vision, mission and mandate statements that better describe our current approach and priorities. While it is early days in this process, the message is clear that our purpose must reflect the important role Own the Podium plays in supporting our country's sport system and its athletes as they inspire Canadians, not just in winning but in winning well.

OTP provides technical advice to all Olympic and Paralympic sport organizations. The funding recommendations made on behalf of the Government of Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee focus on helping athletes, coaches and sport organizations that show clear evidence of athletes or teams being on the podium pathway over an eight-year horizon. OTP does not financially reward sports for a medal performance.

We believe that high-performance athletes should be afforded the resources and the opportunities to pursue their athletic objectives safely and without regret. Our goal is to help all athletes get to the start line and to know that they have done everything possible to achieve their goals in an environment that promotes and protects their psychological and physical health and safety.

OTP knows that participant wellness—both physical and psychological—is a key prerequisite to everyone achieving their goals. We recently introduced a requirement that all NSOs must have a wellness plan for all participants in the high-performance program. We've also initiated culture assessments and have provided resources to support building positive cultures in the high-performance space. These are just two examples of changes we have made in our approach to protect the psychological and physical health and safety of participants in high-performance sport. I want to stress that the health, safety and well-being of all people in Canada's sport system—from the playground to the podium—are most important. This is not a “win at all costs” approach.

OTP believes it is important for Canada to do well on sport's global stage. Every Olympic and Paralympic Games inspires Canadians to be better versions of themselves, be it at school, at business, at home or in the community. Sport is about developing great people. Every Olympic and Paralympic Games introduces us to a whole new generation of role models for Canada. Every athlete achieving their personal goals through a healthy and an enjoyable journey is a champion for developing a healthier population, more active communities, and a prouder, stronger and united Canada. Sport has an important role in nation-building in our country.

While we must always pursue higher goals, our sport system has to be better at identifying its gaps, continuing to work together, supporting one another, and talking about what it does well and where we can be better. The system needs to demonstrate to Canadians the benefits of sport. Sport, when done right, is an incredible force for good.

It can make our communities better. It builds new generations of leaders. It's good for the physical and mental health of everyone involved, and so much more.

Significant work remains ahead of us, but change is happening. Creating a healthier, safer and more inclusive place for all is, and must always be, our top priority. This is not a choice. We must never settle for “good enough” in this area. We must always put people first, hold ourselves accountable regularly and drive further down this path every day to ensure all Canadians can enjoy the benefits of sport.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

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