Harper Government Invests in 2013 UANA World Championship Qualification Tournament

OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2013 /CNW/ - The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today announced the Government of Canada's contribution to Water Polo Canada to host the 2013 Unión Americana de Natación (UANA) World Championship Qualification Tournament. The event will be held in Calgary from January 30 to February 3.

"Our Government is proud to support Water Polo Canada for the 2013 UANA World Championship Qualification Tournament," said Minister of State Gosal. "Hosting international sport events like this tournament offers an opportunity for our athletes to compete against the best in the world, while bringing a welcome boost to the local economy. Good luck to all the athletes."

"Hosting events such as these are tremendously beneficial for national sport organizations like us," said Ahmed El-Awadi , Executive Director, Water Polo Canada. "Having events like this one at home in Canada gives us international exposure as an organization, provides critical experience to our volunteers and officials, and continues to reinforce Canada's place as a leader in the world of aquatic sports. But most importantly, it helps our athletes. We are very grateful to the Government of Canada for their continued support of our programming and our high-performance athletes and future Olympians as we represent Canada on the world stage."

Water Polo Canada is the national sport organization responsible for the sport of water polo in Canada. It provides leadership, coordination and direction in all areas of water polo development and programming in Canada.

The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to podium. Funding of $50,000 has been provided for this event through Sport Canada's Hosting Program. Sport Canada's Sport Support Program contributed approximately $3 million to Water Polo Canada in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. In 2011-2012, approximately $943,000 was provided through the Athlete Assistance Program to support 85 water polo athletes with living and training expenses.

SOURCE Canadian Heritage