The Canadian Olympic team has been training under an "Own the Podium" program for 5 years.
Prior to that Canadian Olympic teams were notoriously underfunded.
To look at it from a Fed political perspective under the Trudeau Liberals Canadian Olympic funding was slashed and Chretien then refused to increase it.
Because of our less than stellar winter Olympic results the Fed Liberals under Paul Martin dramatically increased spending for winter Olympic training,coaching, equipment and facilities.
The Fed Conservatives under Steven Harper continued to support this program and funding.
And here we are.
The Canadian "Own the Podium" program pumped between $110 and $157 million additional dollars into Canada's Olympic teams.
Canadian winter Olympic athletes are now very well funded and equipped.
"Own the Podium" was not something that Canada dreamed up but a focused program designed to dramatically increase the number of medals and standing increases a nation achieves on an international athletic level.
Canada just copied the name and program goals from other nations that had previously used the technique on their national sporting teams.
Is it worth it?
In Canada's case, I personally, am unsure.
A more socialist minded individual (like Trudeau) would say the money was better spent on schools, increased minimum wage and better funding to the poor and aboriginal peoples.
A right winger would rather see the money spent on tax cuts for all and faster more deadly jets for the military.
Personally I really don't know if most Canadian tax payers will feel that we got value for the dollar spent.
In Turin we did sorta OK with minimal funding.
I think funding in the future will be cut back to more historical levels.
Trex
