Taekwondo Canada says it will become the first National Sport Organisation (NSO) to pilot the programme.

The Talk Today programme has been billed as the most comprehensive mental health programme for amateur sports in Canada.

"Taekwondo Canada is extremely pleased to partner with CMHA Ontario in piloting 'Talk Today' with its participants within the taekwondo community," said Dave Harris, Taekwondo Canada executive director.

"As the first National Sport Organisation to be part of this programme, we believe we are offering much needed mental health services to our youth that previously were not available.

"We look forward to working with the entire CMHA Ontario team moving forward."

Taekwondo Canada says it will deliver training to roughly 150 club members of Taekwondo Canada.

The Talk Today programme provides mental health and suicide prevention training for athletes, with participants over the age of 15 receiving an accredited training programme called SafeTalk.

The training seeks to teach individuals how to recognise people with thoughts of suicide and how to connect to a caregiver for intervention if required.

Parents, coaches and staff will also be able to participate in the training.

Talk Today also sees the CMHA assign a mental health coach to each participating club to provide community mental health resources, while clubs will appoint a mental health champion internally to be an advocate and connect people should they require support.

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Each club will also host Talk Today awareness events to educate about mental health and suicide prevention in collaboration with their local CMHA branch.

"We are grateful for the support and enthusiasm we’ve received from Taekwondo Canada as they help us mark a new milestone by becoming the first National Sport Organisation to pilot Talk Today," said Camille Quenneville, CMHA Ontario chief executive.

"With the challenges many athletes have faced due to the pandemic, now more than ever we need to remind them that it’s OK to ask for help and provide them with the resources necessary to access that support."

Taekwondo Canada says it will also use its platform during this year’s 2022 Canadian National Kyorugi Championships.

The Championships began today and are set to conclude on Sunday (April 17).

The event will seek to promote positive mental health during the event using #TalkToday.

Members and fans attending the event will be able to learn more about resources available in their community by stopping at CMHA Ontario’s information booth.