The BC Athlete Assistance Program (BC AAP) is an athlete-centred program of financial assistance funded and administered by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.  BC AAP seeks to recognize and support BC high performance athletes striving to represent the Province and Canada in athletic competition. Athletes who have demonstrated the potential and commitment to attain this level of excellence can qualify for different levels of financial support based on relative levels of development and competition achieved within the overall limits of funds available.

The program seeks to relieve some of the pressures associated with training and competition needs when participating in provincial, national and international sport events. The Sport and Recreation Branch intends that BC AAP focus on those athletes who are in the position to compete for Team BC and are just below those receiving Sport Canada funding. This financial assistance will ensure a continuum of support for the development of national and international class BC athletes.

In summary, the overall AAP philosophy of Triathlon BC is to award the allocated funds to help defray costs for athletes who meet the selection criteria listed in Section 5.0 of this document.

1. OBJECTIVES

  • To help athletes reach their potential.
  • To use the BC sport system by encouraging athletes to remain in the province to pursue their athletic careers.
  • To provide positive role models for young people in BC and increase the resulting number of participants entering sport.
  • To identify and recognize centers and programs of high performance within BC and ensure adequate support and access for top level BC athletes.
  • To increase the number of BC athletes reaching federal carding status.
  • To improve performances of Team BC in multi-sport games.
  • To increase BC representation on National Teams participating in multi-sport games.

2. ADMINISTRATION OF THE ATHLETE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (AAP)

  • The Selection Committee: The Triathlon BC AAP Selection Committee is responsible for the identification, nomination and ranking of athletes for funding assistance through the BC Athlete Assistance Program.
  • Applications: All applicant must meet the Triathlon BC selection criteria as identified in Section 5.0.

Note: The application by an athlete does not guarantee that the athlete will receive BC AAP funding.

  • Equitable: Athletes at differing levels of excellence will receive commensurate levels of financial support, based on the selection criteria and rankings established by Triathlon BC (see Section 5.0). This process will give consideration to any educational or working environment of the athlete, the required time and financial commitment of the athlete to excel in the sport of Triathlon, and the overall limits of funds available.

3. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ATHLETE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

  • Citizenship and Residency: To be eligible for an award, an athlete must be a Canadian citizen or be of landed immigrant status, and a resident of British Columbia for at least one year prior to his/her date of nomination.
  • Use of Banned Substances and Methods: BC’s Policy on Sport and Physical Activity clearly outlines the “ethical pursuit of excellence” – which includes competing without the use of banned substances – as one of its pillars of support to sport. The Province of British Columbia and Triathlon BC strongly opposes the use of prohibited substances and methods as they are contrary to the ethics of sport and may be harmful to the health of athletes. Athletes who are suspended by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and/or the International Triathlon Union and/or Triathlon Canada for any anti-doping rule violation, will be declared permanently ineligible for BC Athlete Assistance.
  • Coaching: To be eligible for funding assistance, athletes should be coached by individuals who are Triathlon Canada NCCP Comp Intro or Comp Dev certified or enrolled in the Triathlon Canada Performance Coaching

NOTE: An Individual Performance Plan (IPP) is required with all Triathlon BC AAP applications.

  • Commitment to Triathlon BC: Any athlete receiving financial assistance from the Province of British Columbia must be available for provincial team selections and if selected, commit to train and represent British Columbia and the sport of triathlon in the applicable competition.
  • Membership: Athletes receiving financial assistance must be registered annual members of Triathlon BC at the time the assistance is being requested.

NOTE: Funded athletes are expected to make themselves available to contribute to athlete development and coaching development programs delivered by Triathlon BC, including provincial fundraising initiatives, as requested.

  • Nationally Carded Athletes: Athletes who receive funding through Sport Canada’s Athlete Assistance Program are not eligible to receive BC AAP funding.
  • Athlete Selection: Athlete selection will be made according to the criteria set out in Section 5.0 of this document, with preference given to developing high performance athletes nominated to the current year’s Canadian Sport Institute’s Enhanced Excellence Athlete list and have submitted their application for the next season’s Canadian Sport Institutes carding list.
  • Selection Criteria: Triathlon BC is responsible for developing and publishing the selection criteria and standards that will be utilized in the identification, ranking and selection of athletes. It is the responsibility of the Selection Committee to ensure fair, equitable and consistent application of these standards.
  • Funding Level: Consideration by the Selection Committee will be given to the required time and financial commitment required to excel in the sport, and the educational or working environment of the athlete. Under provincial guidelines, a minimum of $500.00 and up to a maximum of $3,500.00 can be awarded to any one athlete.

Award denominations hinge on:

  • The total amount of funding available for this program in a given funding year;
  • The level of performance achieved by an athlete;
  • Whether the athlete is/was in the immediate past year, named to:
    – A Triathlon Canada Junior or U23 Elite Team (verification required);
    – BC’s Canada Summer Games Team

Athletes Training Outside BC: Athletes residing outside of the province will only be considered for AAP funding in the following cases:

  1. Pursuit of specialized program of studies not offered in BC.
  2. Participation with a (Canadian) National Sport Centre outside of BC.
  3. A suitable athlete development program that is currently unavailable in BC.
  4. BC athletes training outside of BC will only be considered for funding if there is a demonstrated commitment to provincial teams and other athlete development activities.

4. Appeal Process

  •  Appeals: Any appeals to the APP Selection Committee must be made in writing and submitted to the Selection Committee electronically (info@tribc.org) within 14 days of the Athlete Assistance Program roster release for any given year.
  • Appeals Committee: The Appeals Committee will be formed of three people, all members of Triathlon BC, with preferably one member of the Executive. In order to avoid the potential for conflict of interest, (e.g. the parent of a nominated athlete being on the Appeals Committee), the membership of the Committee will be selected by the Board.

Obligations of Triathlon BC:

  1. Publish the BC AAP ranking and selection criteria, procedures, and the selected BC AAP calendar outline to athletes and coaches before the beginning of the nomination process.
  2. Publish the Appeal Process to athletes and coaches before the beginning of the nomination process.

After the final nomination lists have been approved, Triathlon BC will publish a list of their funded athletes on the Triathlon BC website and through electronic news media, with acknowledgment of the Ministry’s contribution for the support of the athletes.

5. Triathlon BC AAP Selection Criteria

 Selection Criteria is based on, but not limited to, the following:

  1. Athletes meet all eligibility requirements.

Athletes must demonstrate a continued commitment to training and racing.

5.1 Eligibility:

  1. Canadian citizens; BC resident for the past year.
  2. A minimum of 16 years of age as of December 31, 2024.
  3. Member in good standing of Triathlon BC at time of application.
  4. Preference will be given to athletes under 23 years of age.
  5. Athletes must be registered with the Canadian Sport Institute – Pacific
  6. All applications must be accompanied by an IPP prepared by the athlete’s coach, or provide confirmation of submission via Triathlon Canada’s Smartabase.

5.2 Performance Criteria (in descending order of importance)

  1. ITU Continental Cup (to 5th place)
  2. Triathlon Canada National U23 Championships (to 3rd place)
  3. Triathlon Canada National Junior Championship (to 3rd place)
  4. BC Junior SuperSeries ranking (to 3rd place)
  5. Other international and/or domestic high performance (draft legal) events (to 5th place)

5.3 Service to the Sport Criteria (Triathlon), documented evidence:

  1. Speaking at triathlon outreach seminars or in schools – evidence required.
  2. Volunteering at Triathlon BC Sanctioned events– evidence required.
  3. Involvement with promoting triathlon in their community– evidence required.

5.4 Financial Need

  1. Commitment to education.
  2. Status as a full-time athlete.

5.5 APPLICATION PROCESS – Electronic (only) Submission deadline: Noon, January 15th, 2025

To be considered for funding, eligible athletes must complete an application in full through Triathlon BC’s AAP Portal.Please note, only 2024 results (and links) will be considered in all applications.