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Own the Podium 2010 Own the Podium - 2010 is a sport technical program designed to help Canada become the number one nation in terms of medals won at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, and to place top three at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The program is a collaborative effort supported by all 13 of Canada's winter National Sport Federations and the major winter sport partners including the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Sport Canada, the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA), the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). The focus of the program is to provide additional resources and high performance programming to Canadian athletes, coaches and support personnel to help them achieve podium success in 2010. Collectively, the group agreed to pursue the goal of becoming the number one nation in medal count at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The goal for the Paralympic team is to finish in the top three nations at the 2010 Paralympic Games. A detailed report on the Canadian Paralympic program will be available in late February 2005. The partners agreed that Canada must change the way it delivers sport in order to accomplish these goals and created guiding principles for achieving their vision in 2010. The program, detailed in a report written by sport technical experts, analyzes Canada's potential to be the top medal winner at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. As part of the research phase of the report, sport experts in several countries including the United States and Australia were consulted for their expertise. The report concludes that with a focused vision, well-executed implementation and increased resources, Canada can be number one at home in 2010. To achieve this goal, the report found that Canada would need to win approximately 35 medals in 2010, more than double the 17 medals won by the Canadian team in Salt Lake City in 2002. The report found that Canada currently does have the depth of talent in certain sports to increase the number of potential medallists for 2010. However, the Canadian team can only achieve the goal of 35 medals with a new approach to sport delivery supported by the federal government and sport leaders in Canada as well as a $21-million annual increase in funding for winter sports over the next five years. This program marks the first time Canada's winter sport organizations have come together with their sport partners to map out a comprehensive plan that, if fully implemented, would give Canada's athletes the required financial and infrastructure support to help them perform at their highest potential. Highlights of Own the Podium - 2010
Under the program, increased funding will be distributed based on medal potential and need. Sport technical reviews of each National Sport Federation were conducted in order to determine medal potential and funding requirements for 2010. Each sport was measured against the following criteria to help prioritize funding decisions:
History of Own the Podium - 2010With the goal of ensuring Canada's success as a host country at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, Canada's winter sport federations and their sport funding partners met in Calgary in February 2004 to discuss their goals for the 2010 Games. Partners at the meeting included representatives of all 13 winter National Sport Federations, the COC, Sport Canada, CODA, CPC and VANOC. Based on the principles and framework developed at the February 2004 meeting, the COC contracted an independent consultant to validate the sport projections, provide recommendations on changes and resources needed to succeed, and determine if the goals were realistic and achievable. Cathy Priestner Allinger, then an independent sport consultant and currently the Senior Vice President, Sport with VANOC, was selected to perform this analysis. A task force of experts with more than 100 years of combined experience in sport and sport systems was recruited to assist with the analysis. The team included: Dr. Todd Allinger, Herwig Demschar, Dr. Steven Norris, Jacques Thibault and Todd Allison as well as other international coaches and experts. The final report was submitted to the partners in the fall of 2004. A sub committee of the collective called the Own the Podium Steering Committee was then created to manage the implementation of the report's recommendations. The current Steering Committee members are: Wayne Russell (Hockey Canada)-Chair, John Mills (CODA), Mark Lowry (COC), Cathy Priestner Allinger (VANOC), Phil Schlote (Sport Canada), Jean Dupre (Speed Skating Canada), Tony Daffern (Cross Country Canada), Pam Coburn (Skate Canada), Rob Needham (Canadian Paralympic Committee) and Ken Read (Alpine Canada). PartnersCanadian Olympic Committee (COC): The COC, a private, not-for-profit corporation, is the largest private supporter and an advocate of high performance sport in Canada. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. Sport Canada: Sport Canada is a branch of the International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Sport Sector within the federal Department of Canadian Heritage. The Department is dedicated to valuing and strengthening the Canada experience. Sport Canada has three divisions: Sport Programs, Sport Policy, and Major Games and Hosting. Sport Canada supports the achievement of high performance excellence and the development of the Canadian sport system to strengthen the unique contribution that sport makes to Canadian identity, culture and society. Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC): Following the selection of Vancouver as the Host City of the 2010 Winter Games, VANOC was incorporated to support and promote the development of sport in Canada by planning, organizing, financing and staging the XXI Olympic Winter Games and X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC): The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, charitable, private corporation that is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). CPC delivers programs that strengthen the Paralympic Movement in Canada, including sending Canadian Teams to the Paralympic Games. The CPC empowers persons with physical disabilities, through sport. Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA): CODA is Canada's leader in developing Olympic winter sport excellence, from the grassroots level to the country's Olympic best. Through direct financial assistance to national sport organizations and operational support of facilities shared by the public and our nation's top athletes, CODA is Canada's largest private funder of Olympic winter sport. Originally founded in 1956 to bid on behalf of Calgary to host an Olympic Winter Games, CODA successfully convinced the IOC membership of Calgary's merits on its fourth try, winning the bid on September 30, 1981 to host the XV Olympic Winter Games. CODA was then restructured to manage the legacy of the Games. |