Canadian Olympic Committee announces funding plan for future Olympians

It might seem like a large sum of money: $132 million.

That’s the number that the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is investing in the athletes who will represent Canada at future Olympic Games. The COC’s chief executive, Chris Overholt, announced their funding plan in Toronto on Oct. 27.

Of that dollar figure, $37 million is going towards the organization’s Own the Podium program over the next four years while athletes prepare to compete in Tokyo; $16 million will go towards funding the next generation of athletes to help them achieve their Olympic dreams; five million is marked off to go to the brand new Coaching Enhancement Program and $15 million is going to be divvied up among the country’s sport federations.

This budget is what COC described as an investment in sport and Canadian athletes. International competition at The Games is only getting stronger and, as the committee emphasized, Canadian athletes just tied the medal record from the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. They brought 22 medals home from Rio this year.

“While we have made great progress, the road ahead requires us to keep raising our game, so that our athletes can continue to raise their own. Status quo is never going to be enough to maintain our competitive standing in the world,” said Costs are going up, and we need to be constantly re-evaluating how we are supporting high performance sport in Canada. We must find ways to deliver more. For our athletes and by extension for our country.”

This funding may seem like great news for our future Olympians. Many however are critical about the way the cash is doled out. Own The Podium is one thing in particular that is a source of cynicism among said critics.

The name itself emphasizes landing in the top three spots at an Olympic event and many feel that this is exclusionary of athletes who train hard and compete but wind up beyond a gold, silver or bronze position. By focusing on funneling dollars into a program that gives financial backing only to the very, very best, developing athletes who have yet to realize their full potential are left to dream up means to support themselves while they spend their time training.

That brainstorming session better be a good one. There may be a belief that Olympic athletes are rolling in the dough, but in Canada, the reality for many of our athletes– especially runners– is quite the contrary. Many of those who showed up in Rio this year donning those sharp red and white jackets got to this place in their career in their own dollar.

Parental help is common too. While our runners sported flashy Nike uniforms on the track and had their performances broadcast on the big screen for viewers across the country to watch, returning to the bedroom in mom’s house after the Games were said and done wasn’t as far-fetched as one might believe. Olympians on international soil may receive a cars, homes, or brag-worthy salaries– but not in Canada.

As the press release from the COC pointed out, financially assisting Canadian athletes isn’t just their task alone. As part of the announcement made on Thursday, the committee asked the federal government to re-evaluate their Athlete Assistance Program because, as they stated, it has not been adjusted for inflation in 11 years.

“That is not a recipe for sustained Olympic medal performance” said the press release.