Own the Podium

What Own the Podium does

Own the Podium is a Canadian not-for-profit organization established in 2010 that operates as the country's independent sport technical agency for the Olympic and Paralympic high-performance sport system. The organization provides advice and support to National Sport Organizations (NSOs), delivers strategic priorities, and produces funding recommendations aligned with the priorities of its funding partners. Its end beneficiaries are Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, who receive comprehensive support services including biomechanics, nutrition, sports psychology, physical therapy, physician support, performance analysis, and professional enhancement, alongside coaching development programs.

Rather than operating a commercial product or technology platform, Own the Podium functions as a funding intermediary and capacity builder. Its primary revenue stream is Government of Canada funding, which committed $775 million over five years plus $118 million/year ongoing starting 2026-27. This is supplemented by contributions from the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Olympic Foundation, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Foundation, and corporate partners. Operating from Ottawa with a team of 39+ professionals, the organization is led by CEO Anne Merklinger and Board Chair Rob Hatch (the third Chair in OTP's history), and recently restructured its Board to include elected Olympic and Paralympic athlete Directors. Strategic priorities include the Pursuit of Podium, sport system capacity building, culture and psychological safety, sport science and innovation, and support to non-targeted sports.

Name

Own the Podium

Legal name

Own the Podium

Website

https://ownthepodium.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Own the Podium is a Canadian not-for-profit sport technical agency that delivers funding recommendations, strategic priorities, and athlete support services to National Sport Organizations for Olympic and Paralympic high-performance sport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

High-Performance Sport Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAFAC

National Governing Bodies (NGBs)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Rights Holders & Governing Bodies (Federations, Associations, Sanctioning Bodies)

SECONDARYMPAKACAI

Olympic & Multi-Sport Movement Organizations (NOCs, Olympic Committees)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

SECONDARYMPAKAKAK

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Management & Promotion Services

Keywords

• High-performance sport services
• Athlete development programs
• Sport science consulting
• Olympic funding recommendations
• Coaching support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from Government of Canada with $775 million over five years and $118 million/year ongoing starting 2026-27 announced in Spring Economic Update
2. Sport Organization Funding: Funding provided to national sport organizations to support Olympic and Paralympic athlete development
3. Corporate and Foundation Support: Additional funding from Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Olympic Foundation, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Foundation, and corporate community

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Own the Podium is Canada's independent sport technical agency that provides advice, strategic priorities, and funding recommendations to National Sport Organizations (NSOs) to enhance Olympic and Paralympic performance. It delivers sport science, biomechanics, nutrition, sports psychology, physical therapy, physician support, performance analysis, professional enhancement, and coaching support services to athletes and coaches across Canada's high-performance sport system.

Product overview

Own the Podium is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that serves as an independent sport technical agency focused on enhancing Canada's high-performance sport system. Rather than offering a commercial product, the organization provides advisory services, strategic priorities, and funding recommendations to national sport organizations. Its work encompasses supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes through programs including pursuit of podium achievement, sport system capacity building, culture development, sport science and innovation, and support to non-targeted sports. The organization is primarily funded by the Government of Canada with additional contributions from the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, and corporate partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pursuit of Podium
• Capacity Building
• Sport Science and Innovation
• Funding Recommendations
• Culture Development
• Support to Non-Targeted Sports

Quantifiable outcome

• Best-ever Olympic performance at 2024 Paris Games
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Abuse-Free Sport / Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023OTP joined the Abuse-Free Sport program as of April 1, 2023, providing access to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) services for OTP, its staff, Directors, contractors and volunteers. This ensures a safe and welcoming sport environment for Canada's sport community.
• JumpstartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRob Hatch, OTP's Board Chair, was a founding director and former Board Chair of Jumpstart - a charitable organization that has helped more than three million kids access sport and recreational activities across Canada.
• Master Leaders MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership program with Canadian Olympic Committee's Pursuit Program connecting coaches with experienced mentors including Max Gartner, Graham Barton, Debbie Muir, Patrick Jarvis, Catriona Le May Doan, and Mark Smith to develop Canada's coaching leadership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Japan Sport Council: Japan Sport Council oversees national sport promotion, including high-performance athlete support, with government backing — paralleling Own the Podium's government-funded sport-development function in a different market.
• German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB): DOSB is Germany's umbrella national sport organization coordinating Olympic and Paralympic sport and channeling federal support — structurally similar to Own the Podium but operating as a federation rather than a focused technical agency.
• Sport England: Sport England distributes government and National Lottery funding across English sport with a stronger community-sport emphasis, but shares the government-funded advisory and funding-recommendation function for high-performance pathways.
• Korea Sports Promotion Foundation: The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation is a government-backed entity that funds and develops elite sport in South Korea, including Olympic and Paralympic pathways — analogous in mandate and funding model to Own the Podium.
• French National Sports Agency (ANS): The ANS is France's government agency responsible for sport development funding and policy, including high-performance pathways — a comparable government-funded counterpart to Own the Podium in a different national context.

Direct peers

• High Performance Sport New Zealand: High Performance Sport New Zealand is the government-funded national agency that invests in and supports New Zealand's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, operating a structurally similar model to Own the Podium at smaller scale.
• Australian Institute of Sport: The AIS is Australia's high-performance sport agency delivering sport science, coaching, and athlete development services to Olympic and Paralympic athletes — directly comparable to Own the Podium's high-performance support mandate.
• UK Sport: UK Sport is the UK government's high-performance sport agency that directs National Lottery and government funding to Olympic and Paralympic sports — operating the same government-funded, performance-driven funding-recommendation model as Own the Podium.
• Sport Australia: Sport Australia, through the Australian Sports Commission, oversees the funding and development framework for high-performance sport in Australia — closely analogous to Own the Podium's funding-recommendation and strategic-priorities role.
• United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee: The USOPC is the U.S. national body responsible for coordinating and funding high-performance Olympic and Paralympic sport organizations — the closest direct functional equivalent to Own the Podium in another country.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/otp2010cd
• Xx.com/ownthepodium
• Facebookfacebook.com/OwnthePodium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Own the Podium