Sail Canada to develop three National Sail Training Centres across the country

Sail Canada © Sail Canada

High Performance Sailing in Canada will reach new heights with the development of National Sail Training Centres, which include sites in the Atlantic, Central and Pacific areas of the country.

Through programs and services delivered at the National Sail Training Centre Atlantic, Central and Pacific, Sail Canada will be able to identify talent earlier and provide more systematic coaching and training programs to help athletes progress along the Gold Medal Pathway to international success.

With the support of the Canadian Sports Institutes and in collaboration with provincial sailing associations and key competitive sailing clubs, the National Sail Training Centres will allow Sail Canada to improve its high performance delivery system and enable a nationally repeatable system for athlete identification and development, which will ultimately produce consistent international podium results.

"With these National Sail Training Centres, Young Canadians sailors will have access to a world class training environment as well as world class coaching and performance sciences, giving athletes a greater chance to compete with the best in the world and proudly represent Canada on the international arena," said Sail Canada Chief Executive Officer Don Adams.

"This new initiative will give athletes the needed environment to get to the podium at the 2024 Olympic Games and beyond. Canada has a rich sailing history and was once considered a top sailing nation around the world. However, the world has caught up and our objective is to bring Canada back to consistent international podiums results," he added, referring to the nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals Canada has won at these two major events.

The National Sail Training Centres will be directed and managed by Sail Canada High Performance Director Mike Milner in collaboration with applicable provincial sailing associations and high performance clubs. This model is also comparable to leading sailing nations around the world and based on what has worked for other sports in Canada, including the recent successes of Canadian Swimming and Athletics athletes at the World and Olympic level.

More training opportunities, more support staff

To be part of the National Sail Training Centres, athletes will first be invited to Regional Talent ID Camps, where they will be assessed. Following these camps, the Sail Canada High Performance Director, in consultation with national and provincial coaches, will select talented athletes and invite them to be part of the National Sail Training Centres. The National Training Centres will provide daily training sessions, regional training camps as well as support from performance science and sports medicine programs. Dedicated and specialized single and double handed coaches will work with these selected athletes. The coaches themselves will have ongoing professional development opportunities to ensure they have the latest coaching skills, technical knowledge and experience.

These integrated and clustered services will better allow young Canadian sailors to follow their Olympic dream in a world-class training development and support environment, without being constrained due to financial challenges.

Support the National Sail Training Centres

The implementation of the National Sail Training Centres involves an extensive investment from Sail Canada and the National Sport Organization will be inviting its proud members to get engaged in this important project for the future of Canadian sailing.

All donations will support the various components of the program, including regional and national training camps, coaching, equipment, domestic and international competitions, athlete bursaries, etc...

Donors may choose to align their gift with a particular national training centre or an area of interest, including but not limited to coaching, equipment purchases, training camps, competitions, or athlete bursaries.

Income Tax Receipts will be provided for all donations over $20.

For more information or to donate, please go to www.sailing.ca.