Athletes turn to GoFundMe to go to the Olympics | Olympic Games

A first for the fencer.

While waiting to cross swords, the young woman has almost doubled the pace of training, up to around thirty hours per week, and thus hopes to put all the means on her side.

But the fencer has few means. I stopped working since about October, I use my personal resources and my parents support meshe explains.

Pamela Brind’Amour after a duel at the Pan American Games.Photo : Getty Images / Al Bello

Although she qualified for the Olympics, she was not eligible to receive the subsidies. of the Athlete Assistance Program, more commonly called the patent, but was supported by Sport Québec.

athletes, there are still seven who were not carded this year”,”text”:”We have an Olympic team of 15 athletes, there are still seven who were not carded this year”}}”>We have an Olympic team of 15 athletes, there are still seven who were not carded this yearshe notes.

In the coming weeks, she should receive the equivalent of four monthly brevet payments, a catch-up for athletes in her situation. A welcome aid that will finance her preparation.

Crowdfunding campaign

Not everyone has access to the patent and some athletes do not hesitate to appeal to the generosity of the public to achieve their goals.

After the withdrawal of one of their sponsors, beach volleyball players Dan Dearing and Sam Schachter, members of the national team, decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign in the home stretch of the qualifying phases for the Olympic Games.

Several athletes have launched online crowdfunding campaigns to make ends meet.Photo: Radio-Canada / Screenshot from the Gofundme site.

We reached out to our community and they were great. They helped us financially and we also created a connection with themindique Sam Schachter.

For now, of the $15,000 hoped for, only half has been raised so far. The duo also made the choice to devote themselves exclusively to their preparation, leaving aside their part-time jobs. A choice that paid off since they managed to qualify for Paris.

Winning medals, but not your life

According to Sport Canada, there are 1,800 athletes from more than 94 disciplines who are carded each year. If they meet all the criteria, they can claim $21,180 per year, or $1,765 per month.

In fact, the reality is quite different: in 2018, the carded athlete received an average of $13,613 from the Athlete Assistance Program, for an average annual income of $28,858.

Like Pamela Brind’Amour, many high-level athletes must therefore face the same lack of financial means and juggle between the anxiety of difficult ends of the month and the demands of high-level sport.

Unable to devote themselves fully to their careers, they must supplement their income with full-time or part-time jobs.

After her studies, the swordswoman worked as a research assistant while simultaneously pursuing her sporting career.

It’s really common to be a fencer and work full time.

To balance their budget, there is always the option of patronage, but you still have to have the chance to practice a publicized discipline.

It is indeed difficult to attract sponsors when the return on investment is not assured. love money“,”text”:”That’s what we call love money”}}”>This is what we call love moneysays Yann Bernard, president of the Canadian Fencing Federation. In the case of his sport, which is rarely televised, it is not even possible to display logos on his outfit.

Crisis situation

2005″,”text”:”Our funding has not been re-evaluated since 2005″}}”>Our funding has not been reassessed since 2005says Casey Wade. The CEO of Canoe Kayak Canada, like some of his counterparts interviewed, is sounding the alarm on a Canadian sport in crisis.

$3 million back then is worth roughly $1.5 million today in terms of purchasing power, and we are expected to perform the same with fewer resources.

He predicts good performances at future Olympic and Paralympic Games, but These will be misleading results, because we are building on the good work done over the years with young athletes..

Last March, AthletesCan, an organization that advocates for Canadian athletes, with the Athletes’ Commission of the Olympic and Paralympic Committees, has stepped up to the plate to request that the financial envelope of the Athlete Assistance Program be indexed in line with inflation.

The Department of Canadian Heritage says it has heard athlete representatives, 2024 announced significant investments for Canadian high-performance athletes, 35million dollars over five years, starting2024-2025, et 7$1 million ongoing for the Athlete Assistance Program”,”text”:”That’s why Budget 2024 announced significant investments for Canada’s high-performance athletes, $35 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $7 million ongoing for the Athlete Assistance Program”}}”>this is why Budget 2024 announced significant investments for high-performance Canadian athletes, $35 million over five years, starting in 2024-2025, and $7 million permanently, for the Canadian Youth Assistance Program. athletes we were answered by email.

: \”you are right\””,”text”:”The observation which is a little distressing among the federations is that we tried everything. We are even at the point where we are told: \”you are right\””}}”>The observation which is a little disappointing among the federations is that we have tried everything. We are even at the point where we are told: “you are right”deplores Yann Bernard. Sport Canada officials themselves are unable to get the funds they would like to see injected into the federations they oversee.he said.

The downside of chronic underfunding of Canadian sport can be painful for athletes. Many end their careers in financial difficulties. Still according to the same 2018 report, one in five athletes say they have incurred debt during their sporting career.