By Andy Nielsen
Many of those involved with amateur athletics in the Ottawa area are stressing the need for increased funding after Canada’s disappointing showing at the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney.
Canadian athletes took home only 14 medals from the Sydney Summer Olympics – three gold, three silver and eight bronze. In contrast, at the Summer Olympics in 1996, Canadians took home 22 medals.
The Canadian government increased funding in the months leading up to the Sydney Olympics. In March, Denis Coderre, Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, announced a 60- per-cent boost to the Athlete Assistance Program, which pays the living expenses and tuition of amateur athletes. The boost raised the amount of money athletes received from the program, depending upon their world rank – an “A-carded” athlete who used to receive $810 per month will now receive $1,100.
But this program applies to only 1,263 athletes across Canada – and only about 800 receive the full $1100 every month. (The other lesser-ranked athletes get $500 per month.)
But that money was too little, too late, says Heather Kaulbach, CEO of Water Polo Canada.
“Extra funding is always nice to receive, but because it was so late, and just before the Games, it’s very difficult.”
David Hart, new head coach of the Ottawa Titans women’s water polo team, and assistant coach of the Canadian women’s Olympic water polo team, says even after the funding increase, it’s very difficult for an athlete to survive on money from the assistance program.
Once food and rent are taken care of, Hart says, there isn’t a lot of money left. He adds that club dues and travel expenses can cost an athlete $3,000 per year, and athletes on national teams can expect to pay a further $3,000 to $5,000 a year.
Immaculata High School student Jaime Bowen, 17, plays water polo for the Titans and says her team has to do a lot of fundraising to stay at a competitive level. Bowen says the team has sold chocolate bars and cheese, and operates a bingo night where the team takes home a share of the hall’s profits, in exchange for “running the whole night.”
“The main, time-consuming, thing is the Bingo. It’s on Tuesday night, and I usually have practices on Tuesday night,” the Immaculata student says.
“There are two players in my family… we have to go (to the Bingo Hall) nine times. Each time is about three hours of work.”
Bowen says although the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens aren’t her number one priority, she is more hopeful about making the national team now that she has David Hart as a coach.
“Having a professional coach is good because he’s devoted. His job is to coach us, so there are no outside problems that can arise.”
But Hart isn’t sure how much of a difference he can make due to a lack of available funds.
“If there was more money in the area here in Ottawa, I could produce a great many more potential Olympic athletes.”
Ottawa Centre MP Mac Harb says he believes more money in the system would be a start, but cultural attitudes toward amateur athletics is also an issue.
“We have to put more emphasis on sport all the way from the primary school level to the university level,” he says.
Harb adds there definitely will be some more money made available by the federal government.
“There will be more investment in amateur sport, that’s for sure.”