Amateur athletes in Canada have got a $1-million boost from the Metropolitan Life Insurance company.
The MetLife Amateur Athlete Assistance Program announced earlier this month provides $1 million in support over the next five years.
The first 14 athletes to benefit have already been selected; none of them are yet household names, although some – Nicolas Gill, Paige Gordon, Anne Montminy and Annie Pelletier – may be familiar to those who follow judo and diving.
The amount each athlete gets is based on performance, with payments ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 a year.
As part of the program, Metropolitan Life has also committed $100,000 to the Canadian Paralypic Committee to support Canada’s disabled athletes.
Ottawa-based Metropolitan Life’s commitment to athletics is not new.
The company was a recent sponsor of biathlete Myriam Bedard, a double gold winner at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. DC
