QUÉBEC CITY, Nov. 23, 2013 /CNW/ - The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today announced the Government of Canada's 2013-2014 contribution to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). He made this announcement at the TELUS Vanier Cup football championship in Québec City.

"Supporting Canadian Interuniversity Sport will help it maintain its commitment to the more than 700 coaches and 11,000 student-athletes from 55 universities who compete in university sports across Canada every year," said Minister of State Gosal. "University sports have a rich history in Canada, and our Government is proud to help maintain that legacy by supporting organizations such as CIS."

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. CIS also provides high-performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships.

The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to podium. The Government of Canada is providing approximately $800,000 for 2013-2014 to Canadian Interuniversity Sport through Sport Canada's Sport Support Program. This funding will enable CIS to effectively deliver its national championships for the year, as well as cover travel costs for student-athletes, coaches, event management personnel, and officials participating in national championships.

SOURCE Canadian Heritage