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Carding
The Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) is a Sport Canada grant that provides direct, non-taxable financial support to high-performance Canadian athletes. It is meant to help offset living, training and education costs so athletes can focus on high-performance sport. If you are “carded”, you are officially recognized by Sport Canada as an AAP-supported athlete and receive the associated financial support and obligations.
Who is eligible for AAP carding in practice?
To be eligible, an athlete generally must:
- Be nominated by their National Sport Organization (NSO);
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
- Meet the NSO’s carding criteria for their sport;
- Be available to represent Canada in international competition; and/or
- Compete in a program that is part of Sport Canada’s high-performance system.
NCAA athletic scholarships are not eligible to receive AAP payments during the months they are attending their U.S. institution.
Who sets the criteria for carding?
Each NSO develops and publishes its own sport-specific carding criteria, which must comply with AAP policies. Sport Canada then reviews and approves the nominations based on those criteria, on an annual basis.
Athletes’ obligations under the AAP are to:
- Sign an Athlete/NSO Agreement;
- Meet training and competition commitments set out by your NSO;
- Complete required education modules, including those related to anti-doping and safe sport; and
- Participate in sport-related promotional activities on behalf of the Government of Canada.
NSO’s obligations under the AAP are to:
- Publish AAP-compliant, sport-specific carding criteria;
- Provide nomination of eligible athletes for the AAP;
- Submit nominations to Sport Canada for review and approval.
You can also consult the AAP’s Policies & Procedures and contact information on the official program webpage for more detail.
To file an appeal related to a carding decision, click here.
