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Canadian Olympic Committee Athlete Excellence Fund (AEF)

The COC’s Athlete Excellence Fund (AEF) is a support and reward program that provides Canadian athletes with performance awards of $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000 for winning Olympic gold, silver or bronze medals respectively. It also provides funding of $5,000 for performances at World Championships (or equivalent) during non-Olympic years, to support living, training, and competition expenses.

The COC first introduced the concept of a direct athlete support and incentive program with its ‘Athlete Fund’ in 1997. In 2003, the Athlete Fund transitioned into what was known as the Performance Recognition Support Program (PRSP) and awarded $5,000 to each Canadian athlete finishing in the top-5 at World Championships or Olympic Games.

The AEF was created in 2006 and is an evolution of the PRSP. The Athletes’ Commission developed the criteria for the AEF, which was then approved by the COC’s Executive Committee.

Guidelines of the AEF include:

  • In Olympic years, eligible athletes will receive the award for each medal won at an Olympic Games. In a non-Olympic year, financial support for living, training and competition expenses based on the single best past performance will be distributed annually to athletes.
  • In an Olympic Year, performance awards are the same whether the athlete is from a team sport or an individual sport.
  • In Non-Olympic years, World Championship performances are eligible for AEF Awards.
  • In non-World Championship and non-Olympic years, the National Sport Federation (NSF) and COC agree in advance on an equivalent competition or rankings list to be used for AEF.
  • If you are a NCAA student-athlete it is your responsibility to determine if accepting the AEF will impact your eligibility and scholarships
  • Funding follows a four-year cycle:
    • Year 1: Top 5 at World Championships – $5,000
    • Year 2: Top 5 at World Championships – $5,000
    • Year 3: Top 4 at World Championships – $5,000
    • Year 4: Olympic Games:
      • Gold medal – $20,000;
      • Silver medal – $15,000;
      • Bronze medal – $10,000.

Any questions should be directed to CDNOlympicTeam@olympic.ca.