Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire
I'm proud as the next guy when Canada wins a medal, but in the end what benefit do we get as a whole by giving athletes a free ride going after their dreams. If athletes want to go to the Olympics then most of the money should be coming from non-public sources. The government should be concentrating on supporting physical activity in general, not specifically towards a few athletes.
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Government funds athletes. Athletes win medals. Canadians become more proud and gain a sense of nationality. Canadians buy more Canadian goods and support more Canadian initiatives. Canada's economy gets stronger.
Simplistic, but there is benefit to gaining national pride.
Sending a 300-man delegation to an international event and winning no medals
is a big deal for national reputation.