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Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame
The majority of sports do NOT need snow or ice to participate in, and some people are saying we should focus all our Olympic funding on winter events? Terrible idea. Not only would we be abandoning the hundreds of thousands of people who enjoy summer sports, but also would be sending a bad message to all Canadians and the world that Canada doesn't encourage active living.
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Well, I'm not an advocate of abandoning summer sports funding in favour of winter sports funding. I'm merely pointing out that Canada has generally been a poor performer in the Summer Olympics because of where our priorities lie: very little on sports in general, and most of that seemingly on winter activities. I don't know about you, but as one of those "hundreds of thousands of Canadians who enjoy summer sports", I not exactly suffering because of the lack of funding.
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Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame
Maybe if we had a strong athletic tradition in both summer and winter sports and proper funding to follow, we could spend less on health care given that citizens would take healthy and physical lifestyles more seriously. Preventative measures are more cost-effective than funding surgeries, beds, wait times, medicine, etc. Exercise and confidence in an athletic system are a prime solution.
Not to mention that properly-funded athletic programs can keep kids from getting bored and getting involved in crimes and/or drugs. That's a whole argument in itself.
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So, in your estimation, more funding for sports would make for a better, healthier society via increased opportunities for exercise and alternatives for kids facing the dangers of self-destructive peer pressures.
This is total bunk. Take a look at which two nations are demolishing the competition because of their high priority on sports funding, and tell me they provide for a better quality of life than what presently exists in Canada.