What does the future hold for Canadian sport? The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is increasingly asking itself these questions. While the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were a resounding success (27 medals, including nine golds, a feat unseen since 1984), the results for Milan-Cortina 2026 are less impressive. Canada performed admirably with 21 medals across seven different sports. However, the country had the second-largest delegation at these Games, behind the United States, and finished only eleventh in the medal standings. One has to go back to Salt Lake City 2002 to find so few Canadian medals at the Winter Games. Between Turin and Beijing, the medal count consistently hovered between 24 and 29. This is a cause for concern that the COC is not taking lightly.
"Everyone looking at themselves in the mirror"
The COC leadership met for a press conference in Milan on Sunday. The head of Sport, Eric Myles, made no secret of it: We could have won 30 medals. This is certainly not a criticism of the athletes. But it is essential that we all take a hard look at ourselves, including the government, and ask ourselves how we could improve things. “Last year, the Canadian riders had to pay for their own travel and accommodation expenses for the World Championships in Rwanda. Magdeleine Vallières Mill was crowned world champion because she agreed to spend several thousand euros on transportation, hotel, food, mechanical services, and medical care.”
Hugo Houle, for his part, had decided not to go and represent his country. Cycling Canada cannot afford to pay for my plane ticket "He was so saddened." Our system is in declineEric Myles repeats. National sports organizations are forced to reduce training camps. Our pool of athletes is shrinking. And promising athletes are giving up elite sport because they can't afford the costs. »
Final medal count for Team Canada. 🇨🇦 Proud until the very last moment. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aqpYyXdpaE
- Team Canada (@TeamCanada) February 22, 2026
90 million euros to plug the holes
David Shoemaker, CEO and Secretary General of the COC, highlighted the need to increase federal funding. Canadians deserve a properly funded sports systemhe insists. National sports organizations are facing unbearable financial constraints. They are forced to make impossible choices. There is only one solution to this challenge: the basic funding of national sports organizations has not increased for 20 years. This must change. » The alarm bells had already been ringing in recent months. at the time of budget discussions.
The Canadian Olympic Committee estimates the shortfall at approximately 90 million euros. We believe this would properly address the challenge of funding elite sport as well as grassroots development. Current funding amounts to approximately 220 million Canadian dollars (135 million euros), and we are requesting an additional 144 million (90 million euros). So far, we have not been successful. We remain optimistic and will continue to push. Our athletes deserve it. We will not give up. (...) We call on the federal government to inject more money into sport at the national level so that more of our best athletes can represent their country. " According to DutyThe Canadian federal government spends the equivalent of $8 per capita on sport, much less than France (between $20 and $25), the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia or the countries of Northern Europe.
