Cash infusions totalling $5.6 million per year are being funnelled into Canada's men's and women's field hockey teams, as Canada attempts to own the Olympic podium in the summer version of the country's national winter sport.
But with only one chance remaining to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the extra support may be too little, too late for London.
Internal documents from Sport Canada - obtained by Postmedia News through access to information provisions - reveal the government's determination to break the decades-long losing streak.
"Canada has not won an Olympic medal in a 'traditional' summer team sport since 1936, when Men's Basketball won a silver medal," the documents read. "In fact, summer team sports currently face extremely competitive fields and are challenged even to qualify for the Olympic Games."
An official with Own the Podium - launched by the Conservative government in 2006 - explained that events such as basketball, water polo, field hockey and a couple of others, are considered traditional team sports. Events such as the 4x100 relay - an example being the Canadian team led by Donovan Bailey that won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta - are not.
In 2009, Sport Canada launched a Summer Olympic Team Sport System Initiative, "with the goal of developing multiple summer Olympic teams to medal potential status for the 2020 Olympic Games and beyond."
With an eye toward future Summer Olympic Games in 2012, 2016 and 2020, federal bureaucrats have identified six Canadian sports teams with a decent shot at winning a medal. They are: men's and women's field hockey; men's water polo; men's volleyball; women's basketball; and women's rugby sevens.
Each of these teams has been given between $750,000 and $1.1 million this year for training in the run-up to London. The teams were chosen by officials at the Own the Podium program and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
The Canadian men's field hockey team is currently ranked No. 14 in the world in the International Hockey Federation standings. The women's team is ranked 20th.
Former Olympian Alan Brahmst, now Field Hockey Canada's director of performance strategy and national teams, says despite the increased funding, his teams are struggling to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Both teams have one final shot at qualifying for London next month, at a major field hockey tournament in India. Only the first-place teams will go on to the Olympics.
"Its about a 50-50 chance on the men's side," Brahmst said. "And I would suggest we have an opportunity to get it done for the women, but it's a long shot,"he said.
"Winning the qualifier in India, against India, is going to be tough," he added.
Beyond the extra funding, the chosen teams also receive enhanced coaching and training support, following "a strategic high-performance planning process to identify the sport specific and program changes needed to achieve improved and repeatable international performances."
Brahmst said it likely will take a few years for the investments to bear fruit, and he's focused on strong performances in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Three Paralympic teams also have received additional support. Men's goalball - a sport played by the blind - received $100,000, while the men's and women's volleyball teams received $60,000 and $40,000, respectively.
The Sport Canada documents say the increased funding for the nine selected teams is expected to remain steady through fiscal years 2012-2013.
Original Article
Source: Ottawa Citizen
But with only one chance remaining to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the extra support may be too little, too late for London.
Internal documents from Sport Canada - obtained by Postmedia News through access to information provisions - reveal the government's determination to break the decades-long losing streak.
"Canada has not won an Olympic medal in a 'traditional' summer team sport since 1936, when Men's Basketball won a silver medal," the documents read. "In fact, summer team sports currently face extremely competitive fields and are challenged even to qualify for the Olympic Games."
An official with Own the Podium - launched by the Conservative government in 2006 - explained that events such as basketball, water polo, field hockey and a couple of others, are considered traditional team sports. Events such as the 4x100 relay - an example being the Canadian team led by Donovan Bailey that won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta - are not.
In 2009, Sport Canada launched a Summer Olympic Team Sport System Initiative, "with the goal of developing multiple summer Olympic teams to medal potential status for the 2020 Olympic Games and beyond."
With an eye toward future Summer Olympic Games in 2012, 2016 and 2020, federal bureaucrats have identified six Canadian sports teams with a decent shot at winning a medal. They are: men's and women's field hockey; men's water polo; men's volleyball; women's basketball; and women's rugby sevens.
Each of these teams has been given between $750,000 and $1.1 million this year for training in the run-up to London. The teams were chosen by officials at the Own the Podium program and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
The Canadian men's field hockey team is currently ranked No. 14 in the world in the International Hockey Federation standings. The women's team is ranked 20th.
Former Olympian Alan Brahmst, now Field Hockey Canada's director of performance strategy and national teams, says despite the increased funding, his teams are struggling to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Both teams have one final shot at qualifying for London next month, at a major field hockey tournament in India. Only the first-place teams will go on to the Olympics.
"Its about a 50-50 chance on the men's side," Brahmst said. "And I would suggest we have an opportunity to get it done for the women, but it's a long shot,"he said.
"Winning the qualifier in India, against India, is going to be tough," he added.
Beyond the extra funding, the chosen teams also receive enhanced coaching and training support, following "a strategic high-performance planning process to identify the sport specific and program changes needed to achieve improved and repeatable international performances."
Brahmst said it likely will take a few years for the investments to bear fruit, and he's focused on strong performances in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Three Paralympic teams also have received additional support. Men's goalball - a sport played by the blind - received $100,000, while the men's and women's volleyball teams received $60,000 and $40,000, respectively.
The Sport Canada documents say the increased funding for the nine selected teams is expected to remain steady through fiscal years 2012-2013.
Original Article
Source: Ottawa Citizen
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