No extra funding for Own The Podium
Written by on February 9th, 2010 in Latest News.
The federal government will maintain its funding of Own The Podium beyond the 2010 Winter Olympics, but will not commit to spending more money on the program.
Own The Podium is the $117-million, five-year strategy for the home team to win more medals than any other country at the Olympics.
It was paid for with $66 million of taxpayer dollars. The Vancouver organizing committee, known as VANOC, covered most of the remainder with corporate sponsorship money.
OTP chief Roger Jackson says VANOC money will no longer be available after the Games. He’s questioned for $22 million in replacement funding in the next federal budget, expected to be released in March.
Minister of State Gary Lunn said the federal government will continue to fund both summer and winter sport at $47 million per year. Some $11 million of that goes to winter athletes and $36 million to summer athletes.
But the minister would go no further than that at a news conference that included Jackson and Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive officer Chris Rudge, saying it’s going to be a “tough budget.”
