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True, it's now five days in Beijing and Canada is still without a medal. But remain calm. Not only is there a chance we might yet triumph at women's soccer, but even if we come home empty-handed, let's keep it all in perspective.
To make you all feel better, here's the top ten reasons we shouldn't worry about the medal drought.
10. Five days without winning anything is still 15,020 days less than the Maple Leafs.
9. We still get to watch Diana Swain on CBC's Olympics coverage and she's a fox when she does sports.
8. So what if Togo has a medal and we don't? Their health care system is terribly underfunded.
7. There's no way Celine Dion will need to lip-synch at the opening ceremony in 2010.
6. Who cares about swimming when you've got curling?
5. We might be terrible at sports, but at least we're not Spanish.
4. We can still watch Paul Henderson's goal on YouTube any time we get depressed.
3. That Canadian fencer who opened a can of whuppass on herself last night when she lost was far more entertaining than any medals ceremony.
2. There's plenty of time to give Michael Phelps Canadian citizenship before the 2012 Games.
1. Three words: IT'S. ONLY. SPORTS.
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Clare Bear from Toronto, Canada writes: Ok...Please. Enough with the "oh they might have a medal but we have free healthcare". So does Australia!!! And they have 15 medals! And 13 million less people than us!! We need to stop trying to make ourselves feel better about the fact that we suck.
We do well at the Winter Olympics, yes. But the competition is less than half of what it is at the Summer Games (80 competeing countries compared to 205) and really, that takes some of the snap out of winning.
Canada is just not a great sporting nation. Our government doesn't care enough to put money into it, and we as tax paying citizens don't care enough to make the kind of noise necessary for them to change this fact.
We're lame at sport. Deal with it.- Posted 14/08/08 at 12:40 AM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Todd Bechard from Halifax, writes: Clare is a little grumpy.... I bet in 2010 we could find Australians whining about a lack of medals in Vancouver....
Great Top 10 list and I am hoping that in #7 you mean because there is no way she will be invited to sign.....- Posted 14/08/08 at 3:23 PM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Hugo Hall from Calgary, Canada writes: I'm with Todd from Halifax on #7.
And LOL at the list. Overall though, there's no reason to panic. We start slow every summer olympics - Canada isn't a gymnastics/swimming power, wait til track &field, and the rowing competitions get going. Then we'll start scoring some hardware.
And I am confident that, by the end of the olympics, we will have more medals than Togo.- Posted 14/08/08 at 5:53 PM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Anna Christie from North Vancouver, Canada writes: As a mother of a 16 year old swimmer who is hoping to make it to London 2012, I can tell you that without the financial support of the family, most of the athletes would not get to the national level. My annual wage is eaten up by travel costs, swim fees, etc. My son is graduating next year, trains mornings and afternoons and can barely manage to fit in driving lessons or dentist appointments as he cannot miss swim workouts. At the National level, competitions are in Montreal, Toronto,Calgary,..., dates are chosen not with highschool students in mind who have to miss school and then are required to make up for lost time. (Swim Canada cannot afford to pay for hotels, food, transportation,- guess who pays ????)
Stop whining about the medal count and provide sufficient funding. Our upcoming young swimmers (and any other sport for that matter) are no couch potatoes and have the drive to be the best in the world. Unfortunately most of them have to hold down jobs and train at the same time. Unless you walk in their shoes, you have no idea.- Posted 15/08/08 at 12:30 PM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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