The road to the podium is long and full of challenges.  Getting there takes talent, to be sure.  But it also requires guts, perseverance, great coaching and a host of often hard-to-access resources.  The University of Toronto aims to serve as one of those resources for Ontario’s top athletes, through an innovative partnership with the provincial government.

With $2 million provided through the Ministry of Health Promotion’s Quest for Gold program, U of T is poised to open its doors to the province’s high performance athletes, offering access to a host of facilities and services that will give them a much-needed boost in training and development.

“The best athletes in the world benefit from a training model that blends outstanding coaches and facilities with a research-intensive environment,” says Bruce Kidd, dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health.  “It’s the ‘institute’ model – the world’s gold standard – and it’s what we’re building here in Toronto.”

The province’s competitive athletes will gain access to all the training facilities at U of T’s Athletic Centre and Varsity Centre, be eligible to enroll in customized training camps, and benefit from the healing hands at the David L. Macintosh Sport Medicine Clinic.

“Helping Ontario’s athletes to reach their full potential is a priority for the McGuinty government,” says Minister of Health Promotion, Margarett Best. “Access to U of T’s world-class resources will allow our high performance athletes to hone their skills and provide more opportunities for them to compete, both at home and on the international stage.”

Initially focused on summer sports, the program will reach out to athletes in track and field, volleyball, basketball and swimming.

“This is a huge win for Ontario athletes and for the University of Toronto,” says Liz Hoffman, U of T’s director of athletics.  “As we finalize our plans for the Centre for High Performance Sport, this investment allows us to get a jump start on U of T’s reinvestment in competitive athletics at the highest levels.”

That reinvestment includes immediate plans to purchase several new Olympic lifting platforms for the strength and conditioning centre, and to create a new volleyball training centre in Varsity Arena during the summer season.  Sport science research and development, including a healthcare database for Ontario athletes, will also spring from the partnership.