"Giving Summer Their Due"

Canadian amateur athlete fans were bombarded this morning with reports about the apparent demise of our winter sports system following the conclusion of the Winter Olympic Games http://thestar.blogs.com/olympics/2010/02/roger-jackson-who-heads-own-the-podium-the-organization-designed-to-help-canada-win-the-medals-race-at-the-2010-winter-olym.html

Roger Jackson of the Own the Podium program notes in the article that the federal government will only commit to $11 million per annum towards the program following the games. The current level of funding is $29 million. However, what Jackson fails to note is that the Own the Podium program as originally designed should have only received $11 million in funding from the federal government. All remaining funds were to come from private donations. With the games now over, the federal government is being asked to make up the shortfall from private donations as opposed to the program finding corporate support.

Meanwhile on the summer side of the equation, the Summer Own the Podium program as designed requested $84 million dollars in federal funding. They however, currently only receive $8 million dollars in federal funding with a bump to $16 million next year.

Rather than have Canada's winter sport bodies lobby for more than what they were originally intended to receive shouldn't we first look at the shortfall faced on the summer side of the equation. Our winter athletes have received more than their fare share in funding for the last five years. It is time that our government started recognizing that there our summer athletes equally deserving.