Hall of Fame Inductee Spotlight: Michelle Sawatzky-Koop
Michelle Sawatzky-Koop | Athlete – Volleyball Michelle Sawatzky-Koop was...
Leadership
Holding ourselves accountable for our actions and results
Inclusion
Making sport safe, welcoming, and accessible for all
Excellence
Achieving personal growth and athletic potential
Respect
Treating everyone with dignity and fairness
An athlete-centered Sport Manitoba leads and supports sport for life through access, participation, and excellence in sport by all Manitobans.
We envision creating the best sport communities through initiative and leadership and by establishing a supportive environment that will enhance the abilities of all Manitobans.
Sport Manitoba is the leading planning, programming, and funding agency for the development of amateur sport in Manitoba. Our goal is simple: we aim to ensure every Manitoban has access to the resources they need to achieve their full athletic potential, and we do this every day by developing the skill sets of Manitoba’s athletes, coaches, volunteers, and officials. The Province of Manitoba supports and enables us to achieve this vision.
Every Manitoban should have the opportunity to play and be active with the chance to compete at the highest level of their ability. Sport Manitoba, in partnership with over 100 provincial and community organizations, is committed to supporting and encouraging this journey and will continue to transform in an effort to accommodate Manitoba’s growing demand for diverse athletic opportunities.
Sport Manitoba is a non-profit organization. Revenue generated is reinvested into amateur sport and community programs across the province.
Here's a more detailed blog post about who we are and what we do.
Each year, Sport Manitoba provides $10 million in funding and services to support the activities of over 300,000 Manitobans participating in sport. We also lead and deliver development programs including the Manitoba Games powered by Manitoba Hydro, Team Manitoba, coach development, Fit Kids Healthy Kids, and Women in Sport.
In addition to these programs, Sport Manitoba is home to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame Museum & Gallery and administers, KidSport — a national charity that enables less fortunate children to participate in sport.
Since government and corporate sector funding for organized sports began in 1961, amateur sport leadership in Manitoba has undergone many developments to become more inclusive and accommodating towards our province’s diverse athletic communities. However, one thing has always remained consistent within the world of Manitoba athletics: volunteers and trained professionals coming together to provide individual and team-based coaching to Manitobans seeking to grow through sport.
Sport Manitoba, as it's known today, began in 1996 after a merger between the membership organization, Manitoba Sports Federation and its government counterpart, the Province of Manitoba Sport Directorate. From its inception, Sport Manitoba’s mandate has focused on the planning, programming and funding of amateur sports, and the continued development of athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers.
In 2017, as part of a larger province-wide project to host the Canada Summer Games, Sport Manitoba and its partners began construction on the Qualico Training Centre — a state-of-the-art sports complex to serve as a hub for education, skill-building, and research in Manitoba.
1976 – The first Manitoba Summer Games are held in Neepawa.
1993 – KidSport is launched in Western Canada and soon becomes a national charity.
1996 – Sport Manitoba is officially incorporated and becomes the umbrella entity for all amateur sport in the province.
2006 – The Respect In Sport program is developed and launched, ultimately adopted nationally.
2009 – Sport Manitoba and many Provincial Sport Organizations move operations to 145 Pacific Avenue.
2011 – The Sport Manitoba Clinic and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame open at 145 Pacific Avenue.
2012 – The Paul Robson Resource Centre for Leadership & Coaching opens at 145 Pacific Avenue.
2013 – Sport Manitoba partners with Doctors Manitoba to create Fit Kids Healthy Kids.
2014 – Sport Manitoba Performance Centre for athlete development and training opens at 145 Pacific Avenue.
2017 – Sport Manitoba’s new facility opens.
Read and review our Annual Reports & Business Plan, Manitoba Action Plan for Sport, Financial Statements, and Policies (available in English only) here.
Sport Manitoba’s new facility, built in 2017 as part of a city-wide project to prepare for the Canada Summer Games, serves as a space for education, skill-building, and research, as well as a hub for community activity like working out and grabbing a coffee.
At Sport Manitoba, each member of our dedicated staff is united by a love for sport and its ability to empower communities.
Sport Manitoba is governed by a 13-member volunteer board, representing all the major stakeholders in Manitoba’s sport delivery system.
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The Province of Manitoba is moving forward with a plan to further reduce public health restrictions. In sport: Capacity limits are eliminated in venues for indoor and outdoor sport. Tournaments are allowed. As of March 1, 2022, new public health orders have come into effect that remove all remaining proof of vaccination requirements for public…
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