June 20/14 21:11 pm - OCA Accepted Into High Performance Program

Posted by Editoress on 06/20/14
 

The Board of the Ontario Cycling Association is pleased to announce that Cycling has been accepted into the Ontario High Performance Sport Initiative (OHPSI) and the Ontario National Centre Strategy for 2014-2015. The funding from these will leverage our existing High Performance funding to over $550,000. The funds will result in the hiring of three new coaches, the establishment of a daily training environment at the velodrome, track rental, support of existing programs and further development of our Rising Stars Academy program. The funding targets both sprint and endurance track cycling and provides for enhancement of our existing road, MTB and BMX programs.

The OHPSI program was designed in an effort to develop a comprehensive provincial high performance sport system which will allow for future sustained success of athletes and coaches at the very highest levels of international sport. The goal of the OHPSI program is to identify and support Ontario athletes who are best capable of achieving future international success on senior national teams in targeted winter and summer Olympic/Paralympic and Pan/Parapan Am Games sports.

Additionally, the Ontario National Centre Strategy's goal is to further support Own the Podium targeted sports with National Centres in Ontario and to ensure Ontario remains a leader in the development of Canada's medal winning athletes.

Through these two high performance programs, CSIO provides leadership, coaching support, sport science and sport medicine services, equipment and technology, competition and training camp enhancements, and facility access to create optimal daily training environments for Ontario athletes and coaches. The program also aims for CSIO to build stronger relationships with Provincial and National Sport Organizations (PSOs and NSOs), providing support to targeted athletes that are demonstrating they are on the pathway towards future international success. This approach is intimately tied and aligned to Own the Podium's vision and strategy to optimize a targeted approach to increasing Canada's potential for future international podium performances.

"Congratulations to all of the sports selected to be a part of the OHPSI and the National Centre Programs for 2014-15. We believe that providing a clear performance pathway for targeted athletes and coaches will help Ontario lead the way to achieving future podium success for Canada at the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games, the 2020 and 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond," said CSIO Chief Executive Officer, Debbie Low.

"Specifically, athletes and coaches will have the ability to integrate sport science and sport medicine into their daily training environments like never before with the opening of the new state-of-the-art sport institute this summer at the Toronto Pan Am Sport Centre and CSIO satellite locations at the Milton Velodrome, Pan Am Track and Field Centre at York University, and the Goldring Centre at the University of Toronto. This type of support will be instrumental in setting the stage for the transition of athletes from elite development to the more senior levels of National Team programming and delivering top results internationally."

"We very much look forward to working with the selected PSOs and NSOs, as well as working with our performance partner Own the Podium, in the delivery of each sports respective High Performance plan and optimization of the athlete talent pool in Ontario," continues Low. "The ultimate aim is the development of future international performers that can compete at the highest levels and be on the podium in Olympic cycles to come."

Thanks to our staff team for working with all of the parties to develop the program application and for their leadership in obtaining the funding.

Emma Wiechula
Chair on behalf of The Board of Directors Ontario Cycling

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