High-performance athletes in the Golden Horseshoe will have the opportunity to train at McMaster University’s high-performance sport facilities.

The province has invested $150,000 to give Ontario’s eligible high-performance athletes access to the University’s advanced resources, including:

• high-performance facilities and sport equipment including a hydrotherapy pool

• sport medicine services and access to certified kinesiologists

• analysis and research in hydrotherapy, related to “return to play” of high performance athletes

“The Ontario government is committed to advancing high-performance sport in Ontario,” said Margarett Best, Minister of Health Promotion. “We are proud to provide this funding so that athletes in the Golden Horseshoe area can train in one of the best university facilities in the province. This will assist in preparing our athletes for competition on the world stage.”

The David Braley Athletics Centre, one of the largest fitness centres at a Canadian university, also includes a certified indoor 200-metre track, four international squash courts and a new Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre.

“I’m thrilled that McMaster’s state-of-the-art equipment will be used by such talented athletes,” said Sophia Aggelonitis, MPP for Hamilton Mountain. “This initiative showcases the cutting-edge research produced in Hamilton every day.”

The funding comes from the $10 million Quest for Gold program which benefited 69 per cent of Olympic and 86 per cent of Paralympic athletes from Ontario who participated in the Beijing 2008 Summer Games. Quest for Gold will also provide support to many Ontario athletes who are training to represent Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and athletes who hope to represent Canada at the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.

“McMaster University is in the process of developing one of the leading sports medicine and high performance centers in Canada to provide Ontario athletes with a major competitive advantage,” Jeff Giles, McMaster’s director of Athletics and Recreation said. “This partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and their Quest for Gold initiative is exactly the type of program we have in mind as we continue to expand.”