Vancouver skyline
VANCOUVER – Ontario is showing its support for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Canada’s athletes with a $5 million investment.
In Vancouver, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said his government would put up the money to help Ontario’s future sports stars compete in the Games.
He said athletes live demanding and tiring lives and deserve all the support they can get, in order to compete – and shine – on a world stage. McGuinty said bringing home the medals would hopefully inspire children to get active.
"It’s really important to establish good role models for kids at a time when so many are actually sadly leading dangerously sedentary lives," said McGuinty.
Part of the funding will go towards the Own the Podium program, for emerging athletes.
McGuinty was joined by two up-and-coming athletes, freestyle skier Veronica Brenner and snowboarder Katie Tsuyuki, both Ontario natives. They spoke to the media at a ritzy hotel, with a picturesque backdrop of the mountains, including several that would be used in Olympic events.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell was also on hand for the announcement, and stressed that while the province’s mountainous terrain and bustling city will be under the spotlight during the Games, the Olympics aren’t exclusive to British Columbia.
"To have Dalton step up and have Ontario step up and say `We’re there, we want to be part of this, we want to celebrate our artists, we want to celebrate the Olympics in Canada,’ I think re-enforces the fact that the Olympics can be an incredibly unifying force for all of us," he said.
Vancouver organizing committee head John Furlong said he’d be encouraging other provinces to make similar investments.
"It’s based on the size of the province and the population," he said. "This one was $5 million from a larger province so that would be the level."
Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach announced an agreement between his province and VANOC.
The province will fund $100,000 that would go into updating the Canmore Nordic Centre and expanding Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
He said by refurbishing the two facilities from the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, it would provide opportunities for all Canadian athletes to train and hopefully win more medals.
Calgary is the only other Canadian city to have been awarded a Winter Olympics.
Source: Ontario puts $5M towards 2010 programs
