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Thirty-five.
That was the target in 2004.
After Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Olympic Winter Games that year, an independent firm was
commissioned to study the Own the Podium program.
They came up with 35 – the projected number of medals it would take to finish at the top of the medal
standings in 2010. It was a lofty number for a country that had never finished atop the medal standings in any Olympics.
They pressed on.
Enamoured with the number; preoccupied with finishing first rather than just improving.
This was the case of trying to run before they could walk. It was doomed to failure the day they set
the goal, the day the government said let’s pour as much as $120 million into this program and see how we do.
One week into the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Chris Rudge, chief executive of the Canadian Olympic Committee, conceded that the plan was a failure.
Not only had Canada failed to own the podium, they had in fact regressed – on pace for their worst
medal total since the 1994 Lillehammer games in Norway, when they finished the Games with 13 medals.
The failure to own the podium is unsurprising in itself: it was far too ambitious.
The regression in results has been the real stinger; a confluence of excuses adding up, creating a
breaking point.
The COC will not only have to review the Own the Podium program, but they might have to review their
entire Olympic program after 2010’s closing ceremonies.
The definitive reason for the step back lies in the overwhelming pressure to finish at the top. It’s
difficult enough competing against the best athletes in the world without the added pressure of knowing your country is expecting nothing less than a podium finish.
The program also failed when they believed that athletes from this country, whom rarely finished in the
top five of certain events – like cross country, luge, ski jumping and biathlon – would not only finish top five, but also finish on the podium.
It’s unfair to blame Canadian athletes for the dismal showing in Vancouver. Instead, blame the COC
for forgetting what the Olympics really stood for: excellence, friendship and respect.
By trying to manufacture an atmosphere that created unrealistic expectations from its athletes and demanded that Canadians win no matter what, the failures of these Olympics, whatever they may be, are solely on the COC.
While Canadians wanted Canada to win the Games by finishing atop the medal standings, most would have been happy to see our athletes make us proud. Today, the COC’s unfair modus
operandi has given us a reason to be ashamed.
Do you believe?
Not anymore. Our beliefs were compromised and it’s a sad day for Canada.
That was the target in 2004.
After Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Olympic Winter Games that year, an independent firm was
commissioned to study the Own the Podium program.
They came up with 35 – the projected number of medals it would take to finish at the top of the medal
standings in 2010. It was a lofty number for a country that had never finished atop the medal standings in any Olympics.
They pressed on.
Enamoured with the number; preoccupied with finishing first rather than just improving.
This was the case of trying to run before they could walk. It was doomed to failure the day they set
the goal, the day the government said let’s pour as much as $120 million into this program and see how we do.
One week into the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Chris Rudge, chief executive of the Canadian Olympic Committee, conceded that the plan was a failure.
Not only had Canada failed to own the podium, they had in fact regressed – on pace for their worst
medal total since the 1994 Lillehammer games in Norway, when they finished the Games with 13 medals.
The failure to own the podium is unsurprising in itself: it was far too ambitious.
The regression in results has been the real stinger; a confluence of excuses adding up, creating a
breaking point.
The COC will not only have to review the Own the Podium program, but they might have to review their
entire Olympic program after 2010’s closing ceremonies.
The definitive reason for the step back lies in the overwhelming pressure to finish at the top. It’s
difficult enough competing against the best athletes in the world without the added pressure of knowing your country is expecting nothing less than a podium finish.
The program also failed when they believed that athletes from this country, whom rarely finished in the
top five of certain events – like cross country, luge, ski jumping and biathlon – would not only finish top five, but also finish on the podium.
It’s unfair to blame Canadian athletes for the dismal showing in Vancouver. Instead, blame the COC
for forgetting what the Olympics really stood for: excellence, friendship and respect.
By trying to manufacture an atmosphere that created unrealistic expectations from its athletes and demanded that Canadians win no matter what, the failures of these Olympics, whatever they may be, are solely on the COC.
While Canadians wanted Canada to win the Games by finishing atop the medal standings, most would have been happy to see our athletes make us proud. Today, the COC’s unfair modus
operandi has given us a reason to be ashamed.
Do you believe?
Not anymore. Our beliefs were compromised and it’s a sad day for Canada.
Last edited by PKC on Wed Feb 24, 2010 12:09 am; edited 1 time in total
