Sport Canada Athlete Assistance Program Policy

This is the official Sport Canada document governing the Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) the federal funding program that supports carded Canadian high-performance athletes with a monthly living and training allowance, tuition support, and supplementary benefits.

If you're a carded athlete, this document outlines your rights and your NSO's obligations. A few things worth knowing before you read it:

On pregnancy and health-related circumstances (Section 9): Carded athletes who are pregnant are entitled to continue receiving 100% of their AAP financial support, provided they commit to training or rehabilitation under NSO supervision and intend to return to high-performance sport. There are also provisions for health cards (SRH) if you can't meet renewal criteria due to pregnancy — and as of the most recent update, Sport Canada can support a pregnancy-related health card above and beyond an NSO's existing quota in some cases.

On the Child Dependent Allowance (Section 8.4): Carded athletes supporting a child under 18 may be eligible for up to $615/month in supplementary support, income-tested. Both parents can apply if both are carded athletes.

On your Athlete/NSO Agreement (Section 7): You have the right to negotiate your agreement. Commercial obligations (sponsorships, image rights) should be in a separate document from your performance agreement — this is Sport Canada's own recommendation.

The document is dense. If you're navigating a specific situation — pregnancy, injury, a contract dispute — bring it to a sport lawyer or AthletesCAN before signing anything.

Read the Full AAP Policies & Procedures → https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/athlete-assistance/policies-procedures.html