Adam van Koeverden

The final report from Ottawa's Future of Sport Commission released this spring said it was time for federal and provincial governments to focus funding on increasing participation in sport and recreation as an investment in Canada's youth and the country's future.

When Canada's Secretary of State for Sport, Adam Van and that's K-O-E-V-E-R-D-E-N, an Olympic kayak champion, announced $6 million in continued particip-action funding, and that's P-A-R-T-I-C-I-P-E-C-T-I-O-N.

Last week at Toronto's Oakdale Community Centre, he was careful to stress that the funding was meant to make physical activity and recreation accessible and affordable for everyone.

Sometimes it sounds like we're talking about high-performance sport.

Canada's Secretary of State for Sport is in Saskatchewan today.

Adam Van Koeverden has, uh, made a few stops and is making a few more focused on getting people involved in sport, announcing some new investments here in the province.

If that name sounds familiar, Adam Van Koeverden, I'll tell you why.

It is because he himself is one heck of an athlete.

He represented Canada at four Olympic Games, winning four medals, including gold in Athens.

So he's been in this province on the winning end of things from competition.

Uh, now he's, he's bringing it forward in terms of investment in sport.

The federal government investing $1 billion in sport aimed at participation, supporting athletes, strengthening the sport system, and, uh, without further ado, I'm happy to bring onto the program the Secretary of State for Sport in Canada, Adam Van Koeverden.

... to talk about ParticipACTION today, and the importance of investing in ourselves, in, in our communities, in our mental health and physical health, and in the best natural stress reliever known to man, which is physical activity and sport.

Now, I fully appreciate I'm way outside the cohort that, uh, ParticipACTION is aimed at, so I have to confess to you, Adam van Koeverden, I didn't know it still existed.

I grew up on it, but I didn't know it was still around.

Yeah, a lot of people are unaware, so what a great opportunity to remind people.

No, thank you, John.

Talk soon.

MP Adam van Koeverden, Canada's Secretary of State for Sport, and, uh, as he was talking about, you know, barrier to entry, and making it less, um, y- you know, making people less wary about being involved in physical activity, I guess, um, that is, I think, the right direction.

'Cause you know what? When I was a kid, um, I hated gym class.