Navigating the complications of financial aid an additional challenge for Canada's Paralympians

Amidst the pomp and circumstance of the Paris 2024 festivities, the financial realities of being an international athlete are garnering more attention.

Whether it's music superstar Flavor Flav offering funding to cover an athlete's rent, or retired NFL players offering American sprinters a top-up, it's rarely been more clear that representing your country does not automatically lead to financial security.

The situation is often more dire for Paralympians who, like many disabled Canadians, can struggle financially. According to a recent report by Statistics Canada, the median employment income of disabled people in Canada is $10,000 less than their able-bodied counterparts.

One Paralympian, who spoke to CBC Sports on the condition of confidentiality out of fear of reprisals, said that the financial balancing act is an anxiety-inducing one.

"I literally knock on wood. Anytime I get something in the mail and it says it's from [my provincial government], I hold my breath each time."

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The athlete said the issue is that, in the midst of already confusing application processes for provincial programs, there is lack of clarity as to whether carding funding counts as income for the purposes of disability support initiatives, even though the federal government has made it clear that carding funding is non-taxable.

The hope from athletes' perspective is that both Sport Canada and provincial governments can come to a formal agreement so that Para sport athletes who have to access provincial benefit programs can breathe a little easier.

"It's ridiculous … just because you can't work doesn't mean that you can't have other ways of [earning money]," the athlete said.

Disability support programs across the country put significant caps on how much a person can earn or own. In some provinces, that can be just a few thousand dollars and the maximum baseline carding amount is $1,765 per month.

This isn't the first time that disabled people have been faced with the spectre of clawbacks related to government funding. COVID-era Canadian Emergency Support Benefits (CERB) payments triggered clawbacks in some areas of the country.

Each provincial program is administered differently, with only Ontario's Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) explicitly stating on its website that carding money is exempt from any income calculations.

In many provinces, eligibility for social support is tied to extended healthcare benefits, such as medication coverage, that you wouldn't have access to otherwise.

One Paralympian who spoke to CBC Sports said that losing their social support funding could lead to thousands of dollars in additional medication costs. The general lack of clarity means that some Para athletes feel as if they have to obscure their finances.