Paddle Australia has welcomed a funding boost with the news that the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) will provide additional support for their high performance Olympic and Paralympic programs, with a total increase of a little over 12% through to Paris 2024.
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) yesterday committed a collective $257 million dollars to National Sporting Organisations for the three-year cycle.
This is the first time the AIS, through the support of the Australian Government, has allocated funds for a full Games cycle, with the historic move allowing sports to forward plan and build on the success of the Tokyo Games.
High Performance Director Kim Crane welcomed the news saying it will enhance both the Olympic and Paracanoe programs.
“Following a successful campaign in Tokyo, Paddle Australia has been given an increase to its high-performance funding which will see more than $7 million injected into the sport each year leading into the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Crane said.
“We are very grateful to the AIS and Federal Government for this additional increase.”
“This increase recognises the additional medal opportunities provided by the new Extreme Slalom events for men and women, the strong talent pipeline that exists in Sprint Canoeing and the restructuring we have undertaken to strengthen the program and optimise support for our athletes. The additional funding will allow us to invest in these and other key areas.”
“Planning has been challenging in the uncertain environment over the last few years. We can now plan for the shortened lead up to Paris, considering all the valuable lessons that we learnt in the lead up to Tokyo. As we have previously, we will have contingencies in place to allow us to respond as things change.”
Australian Sports Commission Chair Josephine Sukkar AM said: “We are in the midst of an exciting time for Australian sport. Paris is now only two and half years away, and our commitment to longer term success, the green and gold runway to Brisbane 2032, is also front of mind.”
“I would like to thank the Australian Government for sharing the vision of the AIS and recognising the value of allocating funding for a full Games cycle. It is a huge show of support for the Australian high performance system, the sports and our athletes.”
