Quote:
Originally Posted by The Yen Man
You might question China's methods in training their athletes, but their government is willing to pour a ton of money into the sports programs to ensure they are able to groom competitive athletes, something that Canada sadly does not do.
The whole "oh well, they tried their best, we're still proud of them, even though they came in 9th" attitude is pretty much why Canada's stuck in mediocrity. I for one, wouldn't mind seeing more tax dollars diverted to more sports programs in hopes of medalling in international events. For some reason, it seems to me the average Canadian tax payer is opposed to this however. I always see the "well, these should go towards more teachers and health care" whenever the topic comes up. Can't they go to both?
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Being 9th is better than being 20th in Athens. The swimmers have to gain experience at the Olympic level. You can't just jump from 20th to 2nd. Even the Chinese have gradually improved from Sydney to Athens to Beijing.
Forget about these olympics. You'll see Canada's funding and sacrifice at work in Vancouver where Canada will be in contention for the overall medal count.
The government only has so much resources. Can't have one of the best social systems in the world and be good at BOTH winter and summer games.