Canada finished 19th in the overall Olympics medals table in Beijing last year with 18 medals, consisting of three gold, nine silver and six bronze, an acceptable return after a poor start to the Games led to an outcry back home.

 

 

They hope to move even higher up the table at London in 2012 having been set a target of a place in the top 12.

 

Lunn said: "We’ve been having tremendous success in the support of our high performance athletes.

 

"We want to continue to build on that momentum to support our athletes at the very highest level."

 

Lunn said the money will provide athletes and coaches with the resources they need in the lead-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

 

He said: "Canada’s summer national sport organisations play a key role in sport participation and athlete development from the playground to the podium."

 

Canada's preparations for London 2012 have been badly affected by losing a number of its top athletes to Britain, including Peter Eriksson, who has helped the country win 119 medals in the Paralympics since 1984, including wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc to five gold medals, including three world records, at Beijing last year.

 

Petitclerc's performances helped Canada finish seventh overall with a total of 50 medals, including 19 gold.

 

Nearly half of the new the funding will be directed to the Own the Podium project, which was originally set-up after Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics, to help athletes win medals at upcoming Olympic Games, he said.

 

Lunn said the Federal Government has now established permanent funding for these national sports organisations.

 

He said: "This was a fund that was suppose to sunset; it was only a five-year programme.

 

"It will go on and on.

 

"We want to continue to build on the momentum."