According to Ken Read, a former Crazy Canuck and one-time director of winter sports at Own The Podium, Quebec’s biggest advantage lies at the provincial funding level. Mr. Read cited provincial tax credits ($6,000 per year for carded athletes) and direct financial support to sporting associations, saying Quebec is especially effective at getting its athletes from recreational sports to the high-performance realm. “That’s where Quebec stands alone,” he said.
In 2012-13, the province’s regional sporting structure provided $2.6-million to amateur sports – leveraging the relatively low cost of living and plentiful supply of dieticians, physiotherapists and sports psychologists produced by the province’s 10 universities. Alberta, home to the largest number of national training centres in the country, contributed $159,000.
There’s also a tighter strategic alignment between the provincially funded bodies and the national level, which Mr. Read said “is critical in moving athletes to the elite level” – Quebec as a model of national-provincial integration.
Mr. Read suggested Quebec benefits from its clarity of purpose – putting as many athletes as possible on national teams – which has shifted to having as many top performers as possible; why be content just to be there if you have the horses to take over?
Source:
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PAUL WALDIE
EUROPE CORRESPONDENT
SEAN GORDON
LES PERREAUX
KRASNAYA POLYANA, RUSSIA AND MONTREAL
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 10, 2014
UPDATED 1 YEAR AGO