 |
It is no secret that the Canadian government spent an exorbitant amount of money on the athletes for the Vancouver Olympics. In fact, the slogan "Own the Podium" was invented to encourage Canadian athletes to win as many medals as possible to validate the millions spent.
The federal government contributed half of the CAN$112 million (US$105) that went towards athlete training. But several layers of government are embedded within the other half, which is falsely labeled as "corporate funding, as this article indicates:
Approximately half of the funding originated from the Government of Canada, through Sport Canada. VANOC [the Vancouver Organizing Committee] raised the other half through corporate, provincial, territorial, and public support.So, if it all comes down to proportions, the government probably contributed about two thirds of the whole amount.
In contrast, there is no government funding for American athletes, who get their monies from a myriad of private sponsors (including family money).
Canada won the highest number of gold medals this winter, but Americans won the MOST medals, and they also showed the most ingenuity and creativity in their performances. Rugged American individuals, who have removed themselves from constraining teams, kept breaking the records and setting the standards. Will Canada ever show the innovations that the American athletes consistently produce? Or is the government run "Own the Podium" just about aggressively getting as many medals as possible?
Canada may have had a successful "Own the Podium" program in Vancouver, but for how long will the government be able to dish out the millions of dollars to train Olympics athletes? Vancouver was a special event: it was on home territory (almost), and the country wholeheartedly approved.
Where will the funds for Russia come from, or even in two year's time for London?
Well, the government has announced it will pour CAN$45 million over the next two years into the ongoing "Own the Podium" program. But, it is riding on the Vancouver success story. When all this dies down, and when Canadian athletes are just another team on foreign soil, will they deliver as enthusiastically and readily as they did in Vancouver? Will the public be as enthusiastic to fund their endeavors?
