Let's be honest: Who thought a one-time 120 million dollar injection would suddenly make Canada top of the world? Even the program coordinator stated that their goal was going to be a long shot. And in such a short time frame, all they can hope to do is bring up the standards of the few athletes in the competition already. If Canada wasn't any good at an event earlier, what would make it better now? I'll be the first to admit the Alpine team didn't win, but that's a crapshoot all on its own (Most alpine events). I guess I should ask: How much WORSE would Canada have looked had there been no Own the Podium program set in place?
The price tag for this has been ~1 dollar a year from every Canadian in the last four years. I think it will do Canadians well to keep this program going. The fact that this program brings attention to the sports will let younger generations find them more easily, get better funding over time, and THAT would bring Canada over the top in terms of Olympic medals.
tl;dr version: I think we shouldn't be expecting Canada to come out as the Gold Standard after a small injection of money.
__________________
|