I don't intend this post to appear as a slam against any of our athletes currently competing in the Olympics. I can't do what they're doing and they're working hard to represent our country. My concern is that these people aren't being given the tools then need to be competitive and I don't think it's fair to them...
OK, so we're only six days into the Olympics, but already Canada is behind Uzbekistan and Togo in the medal count. Why is it that Canadian athletes seem to have so much trouble winning medals at the Summer Olympics? Do they need to? Scott Russell seems to think we put too much emphasis on winning medals. I think there needs to be a happy medium. Are the athletes really satisfied with the fact that they did their best? Or are they just saying that because they don't want the inevitable questions that come along? Is everyone else on performance enhancing drugs?
I think we need to win medals when we go to the Olympics. Sure, if all our athletes are getting personal bests and beating Canadian records, that's great. However this is a competition. If the Olympics was all about beating personal bests, then you'd get a medal for that. Why isn't there a standing that shows how many countries have broken records held by their athletes? The Olympics is all about showing how you stack up against the rest of the world. Right now, Canada is comparatively mediocre. One of our best hopes for a medal (I know it isn't all about that) in swimming placed a distant 6th in one of his hallmark events. 6th our of 8 isn't all that special. Sure he's better than the other 10 or so swimmers that didn't make it to the final, but is that what he went to Beijing to do? And if he only went there to place 6th, why did he go in the first place? Canada won 5 medals at the World Aquatic Championships in 2007, maybe that's our venue? To me it's all about performing on the world stage and if you're not into being the best in the world then maybe the taxpayers shouldn't be spending money to send you to the competition. The more likely scenario, I think, is that these athletes can only do so well because they aren't being given the tools and opportunities they need to be top of the world, not just somewhere in the middle.
Part of the problem as I see it is that people in Canada only care about the Olympics when they're on. As soon as the Olympics are over will anyone care anymore that the athletes didn't live up to expectations? We should. Remember what happened in Australia? They decided that their country needed to no only perform, but be competitive and win medals. They sunk a whole bunch of money into coaches, programs, and facilities and look at them now. A country with fewer people than Canada and a similar lifestyle and they're 4th. What has Canada done? They've bribed the athletes by saying they'll pay them for medals. No drastic increases in funding, no significant new facilities (except for winter sports) but for any of those athletes currently living in poverty, we'll pay them a one-time payment for winning a medal. Unless they get a big-name sponsor, most athletes in Canada have to have a job in order to live. Is that the way to make a successful elite athlete? Does Michael Phelps have a job at the local sporting goods store or does he spend all his time training and preparing for events? However, the problem in Canada is that we're a winter sports country and it only seems like the government is willing to put up the money for the winter sports. It's time Canada supported our athletes financially. Spend the money on facilities, get the best coaches, give the athletes places to live and train.
I hope that the next couple of weeks proves me wrong. That we end up with a substantial medal tally and all our athletes come home happy with the fact that they were successful on the world stage. However, I think the way our summer sports athletes are supported in Canada is inadequate and only significant change is going to make us competetitive at this ikind of competition. If that change doesn't come we can continue to see a wealthy, healthy, big country continually hanging out in the ranks of countires that have no Olympic programs to speak of and only send 10 people to the games.
GO TEAM CANADA GO!!!!
OK, so we're only six days into the Olympics, but already Canada is behind Uzbekistan and Togo in the medal count. Why is it that Canadian athletes seem to have so much trouble winning medals at the Summer Olympics? Do they need to? Scott Russell seems to think we put too much emphasis on winning medals. I think there needs to be a happy medium. Are the athletes really satisfied with the fact that they did their best? Or are they just saying that because they don't want the inevitable questions that come along? Is everyone else on performance enhancing drugs?
I think we need to win medals when we go to the Olympics. Sure, if all our athletes are getting personal bests and beating Canadian records, that's great. However this is a competition. If the Olympics was all about beating personal bests, then you'd get a medal for that. Why isn't there a standing that shows how many countries have broken records held by their athletes? The Olympics is all about showing how you stack up against the rest of the world. Right now, Canada is comparatively mediocre. One of our best hopes for a medal (I know it isn't all about that) in swimming placed a distant 6th in one of his hallmark events. 6th our of 8 isn't all that special. Sure he's better than the other 10 or so swimmers that didn't make it to the final, but is that what he went to Beijing to do? And if he only went there to place 6th, why did he go in the first place? Canada won 5 medals at the World Aquatic Championships in 2007, maybe that's our venue? To me it's all about performing on the world stage and if you're not into being the best in the world then maybe the taxpayers shouldn't be spending money to send you to the competition. The more likely scenario, I think, is that these athletes can only do so well because they aren't being given the tools and opportunities they need to be top of the world, not just somewhere in the middle.
Part of the problem as I see it is that people in Canada only care about the Olympics when they're on. As soon as the Olympics are over will anyone care anymore that the athletes didn't live up to expectations? We should. Remember what happened in Australia? They decided that their country needed to no only perform, but be competitive and win medals. They sunk a whole bunch of money into coaches, programs, and facilities and look at them now. A country with fewer people than Canada and a similar lifestyle and they're 4th. What has Canada done? They've bribed the athletes by saying they'll pay them for medals. No drastic increases in funding, no significant new facilities (except for winter sports) but for any of those athletes currently living in poverty, we'll pay them a one-time payment for winning a medal. Unless they get a big-name sponsor, most athletes in Canada have to have a job in order to live. Is that the way to make a successful elite athlete? Does Michael Phelps have a job at the local sporting goods store or does he spend all his time training and preparing for events? However, the problem in Canada is that we're a winter sports country and it only seems like the government is willing to put up the money for the winter sports. It's time Canada supported our athletes financially. Spend the money on facilities, get the best coaches, give the athletes places to live and train.
I hope that the next couple of weeks proves me wrong. That we end up with a substantial medal tally and all our athletes come home happy with the fact that they were successful on the world stage. However, I think the way our summer sports athletes are supported in Canada is inadequate and only significant change is going to make us competetitive at this ikind of competition. If that change doesn't come we can continue to see a wealthy, healthy, big country continually hanging out in the ranks of countires that have no Olympic programs to speak of and only send 10 people to the games.
GO TEAM CANADA GO!!!!
