Canada is a leading sport nation. How sport is practiced in Canada today is influenced by a number of factors, including our four seasons, and our geographic and social diversity. For example, lacrosse, our national summer sport, has been played by Indigenous peoples for close to a thousand years. Hockey, our national winter sport, was invented in Canada in the 1800s, and basketball was invented by Canadian Dr. James Naismith in 1891 to condition young athletes during the winter. Today, soccer is the most popular sport among Canadian children.
Our sport system allows Canadians from all segments of society to get involved in sport activities at all levels and in all forms of participation. From childhood to adulthood, sport is part of a healthy, active lifestyle.
As the single largest investor in Canada’s amateur sport system, the Government of Canada plays an important role in this system. Through Sport Canada, it develops programs and policies to help the sport system meet the needs of Canadians.
Provincial and territorial governments, as well as the private and not-for-profit sectors, also provide programs and funding that support participation and excellence in sport.
