The generous $655,000 grant from the NCF’s David S. Howes Fund will supply all of the high-performance training and testing equipment at the new David S. Howes Sport Performance Centre.
May 25, 2022 (Niagara, Ont.) — Today, at Canada Games Park, the Niagara 2022 Host Society, along with the Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) and Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO), proudly announced that, in recognition of a generous $655,000 grant from the NCF’s David S. Howes Fund, the 6,000 square foot sport performance centre located inside the Walker Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park has been officially named the David S. Howes Sport Performance Centre.
This grant, which represents the largest ever awarded by the NCF in its 22-year history, will supply all of the high-performance sport training and testing equipment at the new David S. Howes Sport Performance Centre, and will help this facility to become the first regional training centre of the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO). Set to begin operating after the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, this centre through its affiliation with the CSIO will provide world-leading sport services and programs, such as training, performance testing, nutrition, mental performance training and more, to Niagara athletes and coaches in order to enhance their ability to achieve national and international sport success.
The David S. Howes Sport Performance Centre will be managed by a new legacy organization called Sport Niagara that will be established following the 2022 Canada Games. Sport Niagara will focus on advancing the development of sport within the Niagara community by working to maintain, build on and optimize the many benefits achieved by hosting the 28th edition of the Canada Games in the Niagara Region.
“We would like to thank the Niagara Community Foundation and the David S. Howes Fund for this extremely generous grant,” said Doug Hamilton, Board Chair of the Niagara 2022 Host Society. “One of the pillars of Niagara’s bid for the Canada Games was to create a lasting legacy for sport in Niagara, and this grant will go a long way to helping us to accomplish that. The David S. Howes Sport Performance Centre will be a game changer for Niagara’s athletes that are pursuing their dreams in sport”.
“Two areas that the late David S. Howes had tremendous passion for are sports and the community — and this initiative covers all of these bases and more. The Niagara Community Foundation is proud to continue to honour David’s legacy by supporting the upcoming Canada Games and the Niagara community through this grant,” said Bryan Rose, Executive Director of the NCF. “This first-class complex will be utilized by Niagara’s athletes for many years. The Foundation is extremely proud to partner with the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, the various levels of government, the other donors and sponsors and the community at-large as the excitement builds to the kick-off of the 2022 Games and as we welcome Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast to Niagara this summer.”
“Canadian Sport Institute Ontario is excited to have it’s first official regional training centre at the David S. Howes Sport Performance Centre at Canada Games Park. This facility is an incredible legacy of the 2022 Canada Summer Games and to have a dedicated legacy for high performance sport within that will be a game-changer for the region,” added Ian Gordon, Chair of CSIO. “We will provide local high performance athletes and coaches from over 40 national and provincial sport organizations with access to a state-of-the-art daily training environment and best-in-class sport science and sport medicine service delivery and pathway support. This facility will allow CSIO to better support current and future Olympians and Paralympians in the region and our goal of elevating people and performances.”
As a key contributor to Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic podium performances, the CSIO is a recognized leader in the delivery of applied sport science and sport medicine to Canadian high-performance athletes and coaches. With offices at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in Scarborough and the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, the CSIO supplies sport science, sport medicine, and sport performance professionals to their partnered National and Provincial Sport Organizations, working with coaches and athletes to ensure best-in-class care and support are provided in training, recovery and competition.
Held every two years, alternating between winter and summer, the Canada Games are the country’s marquee event for amateur sport representing the highest level of national competition for thousands of up-and-coming Canadian athletes. The 28th edition of the Canada Games will mark just the third occasion in the event’s history that it will have taken place in the province of Ontario and the first time in 21 years. In total, more than 5,000 participants and close to 4,500 volunteers are expected to take part in the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games scheduled for August 6-21, 2022.
Tickets for this summer’s Games are currently available for purchase online.
About the Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) & David S. Howes Fund
Created in 2000, the Niagara Community Foundation has assets over $76.5 million and has granted in excess of $21 million to charities working in the arts, heritage, environment, social services, health, education and community development sectors. The NCF is proud to have over 400 fund holders under its umbrella. In 2021, the NCF granted over $2.7M to the charitable sector here in Niagara. In 2017, the David S. Howes Fund was created following an $19 million dollar donation from the David S. Howes Foundation. Per David’s wishes, grants from the Fund support post-secondary, facilities, research, health care services, education and humanitarian issues throughout Niagara. For further information about the NCF, please visit niagaracommunityfoundation.org.
About Canadian Sport Institute Ontario
Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) is a non-profit organization committed to the pursuit of excellence by providing best-in-class programs, services, and leadership to high performance athletes, coaches, and National and Provincial Sport Organizations to enhance their ability to achieve international podium performances. Our team of expert staff deliver sport science, sport medicine, life services, and coaching and technical leadership support to help Canada win medals and strengthen the sport system in Ontario and Canada. CSIO is part of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, working in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Own the Podium, and the Coaching Association of Canada. CSIO is further supported by funding partners such as the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and Sport Canada. For further information about the CSIO, please visit www.csiontario.ca.
About the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games
At the peak of Niagara’s boldest summer yet, more than 5,000 up-and-coming athletes, their coaches and support staff will gather to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. From August 6 to 21, 2022, Niagara will surge stronger than ever on the national stage. The 2022 Canada Games, made possible thanks to funding and support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Niagara Region, and the Canada Games Council, will give rise to new legacies of ambition, confidence, and compassion that will inspire generations to come.
For further information, visit us at niagara2022games.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@2022canadagames).
Media Contact:
Christopher Séguin, Manager, Media & Communications
cseguin@2022canadagames.ca
289.880.4005
