Leasing the Podium...by Apollo

It is a distinctly Canadian trait to always hedge your bets. Canadians generally don't like to brag or show any outward display of pride or arrogance. It is not because Canadians are not arrogant. Far from it. Within the confines of own homes, and in the privacy of our own conversations, we can be as boorish, cocky, or overly-confident as the staunchest of flag-waving Americans. Canadians tend not to show this cockiness too much because we're all afraid of being let down, of being disappointed, of basically looking like fools when our misplaced faith comes crumbling down.

So as usual, once the international spectacle that is the Winter Olympics began in Torino, Italy several weeks ago, Canadians were once again, cautiously optimistic. Canadian officials and those associated with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games were boasting of finishing in the Top 3 of the overall medal count. Buzzwords such as the Own The Podium fundraising campaign were being bandied about as some sort of evidence that Canada now had the resources to compete, and beat, the World's best. The Canadian population was tuning in and somewhat buying in to the bravado, albeit with a collective holding of their breath. Canada is the only nation to fail to win a Gold Medal while hosting the Olympics...and we've done it twice, in Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988. It is a distinctly Canadian irony that the stereotypically French-hating province of Alberta made sure that Quebec did not hold that dubious distinction by itself.

When Canada's Olympians got off to a slow start, the guarded optimism turned to justified pessimism and even cynicism. The glorious Gold Medal performance of Jennifer Heil, on the first day of the Games no less, was quickly overshadowed by the failures of Jeremy Wotherspoon, Jasey-Jay Anderson and Beckie Scott. By focusing on the goal of 25 medals and a Top 3 finish, Canadians now had expectations beyond mere personal best performances and the "happy to compete" attitude that Team Canada usually brought to the Olympics.

A funny thing happened though as the Olympics progressed. Canada started winning medals; a lot of medals. A 1-2 finish in Skeleton was accompanied by a surprise Bronze in figure skating and a shocking Gold in cross-country skiing. Speedskater Cindy Klassen quietly blazed her way to a record five medals over five different distances. As the second week of the Olympics progressed, Canadians were slowly realizing that the athletes they were sending, the ones who were supposed to win medals, actually were winning them. Even poor starts by the men's and women's curling teams resulted in Gold and Bronze respectively. With success at the Olympics now confirmed, Canadians were letting loose and celebrating every performance, every medal, and every raising of the flag in sports that most of the population had no clue about.

By the time the flame was extinguished on Torino 2006 and the Olympic flag passed to Vancouver, Canada had won a record 24 medals and secured the coveted Top 3 finish that seemed an overly ambitious dream mere weeks ago.

The success of the Games even managed to overshadow, to a certain degree, the disappointment of the NHL superstar-laden Men's Hockey Team failing to medal once again ebbed just a bit. The hue and cry over the demise of Canadian men's hockey was loud and persistent, but it was rarely mentioned as Clara Hughes and Klassen stood on the podium following the Ladies' 5000m final and laughed their way through the playing of "O, Canada". That moment, and not the slumped shoulders of NHL millionaires leaving the ice after a quarterfinal exit, was the most indelible for Canadians coast-to-coast.

All of this success on the international scene now presents an interesting situation for the newly minted federal government of Stephen Harper. Millions were already pledged to amateur sport to ensure that Canada had not just a respectable showing at Vancouver 2010, but a first place showing, something this nation has never come close to doing. With plans to cut taxes and costly social programs, Harper's minority government will need to tread carefully regarding funds that have already been pledged. After all, Harper surely hopes his minority government will be able to win another election, which will place the mantle of leadership squarely on his shoulders when the youth of the world once again gather in Canada in four years' time. In the grand context of billion dollar budget surpluses that the Canadian government continues to enjoy, a few hundred million for amateur sport is a small price to pay for the feel-good political mileage that is generated whenever Canada does well internationally.

Therefore, Canada's stellar performance in Torino still carries several questions along with it. The long term commitment from all levels of public and private donors will determine whether Canada truly has arrived as an international sports power, a nation that can be relied upon for consistent top 3 performances every four years, or whether it was merely convenient to pump some money into sport when the world was watching, and leave athletes to their own devices the next time the Olympics are held outside North America. Further, the ongoing participation of NHL players in the Olympics is seriously in question beyond 2010. Judging by Canada's failed bid in Torino, that may not be such a bad thing. For now, Canada will continue to bask in the bright lights of Olympic glory, and in the privacy of their own homes, thump their chests a bit more. Time will tell whether these occassional displays of overt patriotism actually last beyond the next four years.