The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has a program in place to reward and support athletes for their performance at the Olympic Games. The Athlete Excellence Fund (AEF) provides Canadian athletes with incentives for their success. Depending on the sport and training block, athletes consume between 3000 and 8000 calories a day. The AEF will not pay Canadian Olympic athletes as much as in previous events, as Canada has the worst rate of Olympic gold medals in 30 years. With every donation to CAN Fund, you can find out the name of the athlete you've supported and receive a tax receipt.
This has allowed athletes to focus on their sport without worrying about how they will pay to compete. Some of the Team Canada athletes who will be paid to climb the podium in Tokyo include swimmer Kylie Masse, weightlifter Maude Charron, divers Jennifer Abel and Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu, judoka Jessica Klimkait and swimming Mrs. Penny Oleksiak. The COC first introduced the concept of a program to support and direct incentives to athletes with its “Fund for Athletes” in 1997. Without the support of the CAN Fund, many athletes would not have been able to attend 2 of the 3 Olympic Games in which they have proudly represented Canada. So not only is there an incentive to climb the pedestal to have your name engraved in Olympic history, but athletes are also looking forward to the cash prize that comes with it.
