Harper Government Invests in 2013 UANA World Championship Qualification Tournament
OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2013 /CNW/ – The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of
State (Sport), today announced the Government of Canada’s contribution
to Water Polo Canada to host the 2013 Unión Americana de Natación
(UANA) World Championship Qualification Tournament. The event will be
held in Calgary from January 30 to February 3.
“Our Government is proud to support Water Polo Canada for the 2013 UANA
World Championship Qualification Tournament,” said Minister of State
Gosal. “Hosting international sport events like this tournament offers
an opportunity for our athletes to compete against the best in the
world, while bringing a welcome boost to the local economy. Good luck
to all the athletes.”
“Hosting events such as these are tremendously beneficial for national
sport organizations like us,” said Ahmed El-Awadi, Executive Director,
Water Polo Canada. “Having events like this one at home in Canada gives
us international exposure as an organization, provides critical
experience to our volunteers and officials, and continues to reinforce
Canada’s place as a leader in the world of aquatic sports. But most
importantly, it helps our athletes. We are very grateful to the
Government of Canada for their continued support of our programming and
our high-performance athletes and future Olympians as we represent
Canada on the world stage.”
Water Polo Canada is the national sport organization responsible for the
sport of water polo in Canada. It provides leadership, coordination and
direction in all areas of water polo development and programming in
Canada.
The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in
Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to
podium. Funding of $50,000 has been provided for this event through
Sport Canada’s Hosting Program. Sport Canada’s Sport Support Program contributed approximately $3 million to Water Polo Canada in the
2012-2013 fiscal year. In 2011-2012, approximately $943,000 was
provided through the Athlete Assistance Program to support 85 water polo athletes with living and training expenses.
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
