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BEIJING — British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell has stepped into the controversy over Canada's poor showing at the Olympics with a ringing call for more government funding to build a “culture of sport” across the country.
“I think we can do more, and we should do more,” Mr. Campbell said as he ended a weeklong stay here without having seen a single medal awarded to a Canadian. Canada should take a look at Australia, a country with two-thirds the population of Canada, but a sports powerhouse at the Olympics, he said.
Since a poor showing at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Australia has poured vast sums of money into sports, creating a comprehensive national program aimed at fostering athletic excellence.
In addition to Australia, Mr. Campbell mentioned China, whose athletes have wowed their hometown fans with 22 gold medals in the Games' first six days.
British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, left, accepts a gift of a carved soccer ball from Beijing vice-mayor Chen Gang in Beijing earlier this week. Mr. Campbell took some pointed questions from a Chinese reporter at a press conference Tuesday. (Canadian Pres)
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“These results are going to move their country forward, and we have to learn how better to provide support for our athletes,” the Premier said in an interview on the eve of his departure. “We have to have a good hard look at how we fund our athletes, our coaches, our nutritionists. … Let's get on with doing something. It's critical.”
He said a single elite athlete can inspire thousands of children to become more physically active and transform their quality of life. “Who knows how many youngsters will start swimming because of Michael Phelps or [2007 world champion from B.C.] Brent Hayden?”
That's why it's necessary to provide financial assistance to world-class athletes, Mr. Campbell said. “Yes, you need to fund the foundation and you need to build from the ground up, but you need to fund worthwhile elite athletes, as well. We have to invest in the athlete.”
The Premier made it clear that he was not “finger-pointing” at Canadian athletes for the country's lack of Olympic medals, nor did their relatively poor performance in the Olympic spotlight make him “nervous” about more disappointing results when Vancouver plays host to the 2010 Winter Games.
“I think our athletes are inspirational,” Mr. Campbell said. “But we can do more to help them attain their absolute best.”
What's required is the development of a culture of sport in Canada similar to Norway, for instance, where citizens think nothing of going out for three hours of cross-country skiing in the winter, he said.
That means putting money into community playing fields and making sports accessible to children. “Sports should start by being fun, not onerous,” said Mr. Campbell, who described himself as someone who played all sports when he was younger. “I wasn't that good at any of them, but I played.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also commented Thursday on Canada's lack of medals, but said he remains optimistic about the prospects.
“We're coming up on the back half of the Games,” he said in Newfoundland. “So we'll remain optimistic and of course we'll cheer for everybody who wears the Maple Leaf.”
Mr. Campbell has no firm figures in mind nor a fleshed-out plan of action, but he said it is essential to start talking about the best way to improve in sports.
Although the province already has an athlete-funding program and a ministry devoted specifically to Healthy Living and Sport, more is clearly necessary in B.C. alone, he said. And he hopes the rest of the country, including the federal government, will follow B.C.'s example.
Ottawa has pledged $24-million this year to assist summer sport athletes for both the Olympics and Paralympics. That is in addition to an earlier announcement of $24-million for the Road to Excellence program, plus a $13-million contribution to the Canadian Olympic Committee to help the organization's preparation for the Beijing Games.
With a report from The Canadian Press
