Resources
Click on the links below to gain background information and learn more about the current direction of Own the Podium, as we support Canadian athletes on their journey to the top of the Olympic and Paralympic podium! All downloads are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click here to download this free software.
OTP Evaluation 2011
SPIN Presentation 2010 - Fred Yeadon (Closing Remarks)
SPIN Presentation 2010 - Carolyn Taylor
Podium Push - May 31, 2010
OTP Welcomes John Furlong and New Advisory Board
Own the Podium welcomed the Government of Canada’s announcement in May that John Furlong will lead the organization’s new Advisory Board.
As chief executive officer of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Furlong was the leader behind the team that delivered one of the most successful Games ever – a Games which saw record-setting performances by Canadian athletes.
Furlong is seen in Canada, and around the world, as the face of Vancouver 2010, and his name has become synonymous with all of the successes surrounding the Bid and those Games. Furlong’s position as chair of Own the Podium’s Advisory Board will ensure Canada’s dedication to excellence in sport will continue well into the future.
In his new role with Own the Podium, Furlong will lead a dynamic, high-profiled Advisory Board including: Keith Pelley (CTV); Julie Payette (Canadian Space Agency); Dr Mike Wilkinson (Sports Medicine Professional); Dr. Guy Larose (National Research Council); Cathy Priestner-Allinger (formerly VANOC); and Lane MacAdam (Sport Canada).
Three additional members representing a joint position shared by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee, along with one person from each of the winter and summer-sport caucus will also be named to the Board at a later date.
Ken Read Joins OTP as New Director of Winter Sport
Read brings more than 30 years of sport-leadership experience while serving in a variety of roles in Canada’s sport community. Read became president and chief executive officer for Alpine Canada Alpin between 2002-2008 where he led a complete transformation of the operational, fiscal and cultural fabric of the governing body for alpine skiing in Canada and was responsible for delivering the necessary resources athletes required to win. Read was president and general manager of Alberta Alpine Ski Association over the last two years, and is one of the nation’s most accomplished alpine skiers where he represented Canada as one of the famed “Crazy Canucks” for 10 years on the international stage.
Read joins an experienced executive leadership team led by Alex Baumann that will shape Own the Podium’s new vision for the future. The executive leadership team consists of Read’s summer counterpart, Anne Merklinger, along with Dr. Jon Kolb who is responsible for the creation, implementation and assessment of an integrated sport science and medicine program for Own the Podium.
In his new role, Read will immerse himself in the winter high-performance sport culture. He will work alongside Own the Podium’s high-performance sport advisors and technical specialists with the national sport organizations and Sport Canada to ensure common vision, goals and strategies to achieve excellence. As director of winter sport, Read will also formulate funding recommendations to the senior management team, lead annual reviews, and develop new policies and programs designed to achieve excellence at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Mike Christie brings Technology Intelligence to OTP
Canada’s high-performance athletes will continue to benefit from world-class sport technology intelligence in their quest for the Olympic and Paralympic Podium with the addition of Mike Christie to the post of high performance advisor, intelligence and performance analysis
Christie brings more than 25 years of national and international experience working within the Canadian Sport System, including five Olympic Winter Games and four Olympic Games. ??? Should this read “four Summer Olympic Games” Christie played a key role leading Canada’s performance technology strategy at the last three Olympics as part of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s expert Games Mission staff.
Christie’s role will be divided between intelligence and performance analysis. He will be responsible for monitoring the latest trends via intelligence gathering in an effort to lead the nation’s development and use of applied performance analysis designed to increase podium performances on the Olympic and Paralympic stage. Working with the national sport organizations, Christie will also apply new technology and programs in coaching to support performance. He will coordinate the development, direction and implementation of performance technology strategies including video analysis – Dartfish, GPS systems, enhanced benchmarking and applied learning.
OTP Extends Best Wishes to Christy Dickson in New Career
Christy Dickson, who has been Own the Podium’s coordinator, administration and special projects, in the Calgary office since 2008 will be leaving her position to pursue a new career opportunity. Christy played an critical role in the execution of OTP’s strategy leading up to and during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Christy’s final day will be June 11, 2010. OTP would like thank Christy for her tireless efforts and wish her all the best in her new role.
We Became One
In Vancouver, our winter athletes won more Olympic gold medals than any country ever before. All of Canada united to support our Olympic Team and celebrate their inspiring performances.
It’s not only about the gold medals we won, but how our country became one.
The unbelievable spirit demonstrated by all Canadians from every corner of the country was remarkable.
It’s amazing what we can achieve together. Now let’s show the world what we can do in London in 2012.
Support our athletes. Go to www.olympicfoundation.ca today and join other Canadians in the journey towards the next podium.
Mark Your Calendars
May 31 - June 11 - Winter High-Performance Plan Reviews (Calgary)
November 17-18 - SPIN (Ottawa)
November 18 – OTP Conference (Ottawa)
November 18-21– Petro Canada Sport Leadership Sportif (Ottawa)
Podium Push - April 2010
OTP Salutes Canada’s Record Breaking Paralympic Athletes
The entire staff at Own the Podium would like to congratulate Canada’s Paralympic athletes, coaches and mission staff who enjoyed its most successful Paralympic Winter Games in history. Led by North Vancouver’s Lauren Woolstencroft’s five gold medals in alpine skiing, along with Brian and Robin McKeever, of Canmore, AB., three victories in cross-country skiing at Whistler Paralympic Park, Canadian athletes accomplished its goal of finishing among the top-three nations in the world in both gold and total medals won. Canada earned 10 gold, five silver and four bronze for a total of 19 medals overall.
Congratulations to the entire Canadian team.
OTP Bids Farewell to Four Core Team Members
With the journey to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games coming to a close, Own the Podium bids farewell to four of its core team members in April.
Roger Jackson, who was appointed chief executive officer in 2005, to spearhead the Own the Podium program stepped down from his post on April 15. Jackson and his team developed strategic and operational plans designed to meet performance objectives for the 2010 Games while strengthening Canada’s high-performances sport system.
Claire Buffone-Blair resigned from her position of Director of Planning and Operations where she managed the organization’s administration and financial functions, as well as the communications. Claire was recently appointed president and chief executive officer for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame which is relocating from Toronto to its new home in Calgary, AB at Canada Olympic Park.
Todd Allinger, who managed Top Secret – a program designed to break down the science of winter sport while looking for a competitive edge in training, human performance and equipment which helped Canada win a record number of gold medals at the Olympics and Paralympics – is also moving on to pursue other career opportunities this spring.
Olympic silver medallist in freestyle aerials skiing, Vernonica Brenner, who was tasked with managing Vancouver projects, is leaving Own the Podium to complete her MBA.
On behalf of Canada’s athletes, we would like to thank Roger, Claire, Todd and Veronica for the critical role they played in Canada’s pursuit of the international podium.
Alex Baumann Appointed Interim CEO of OTP
With the departure of Roger Jackson from his leadership position within OTP, Alex Baumann will fill the role as interim chief executive officer of the program in an effort to continue to improve Canadian performances at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Baumann, who works out of the Ottawa office, was originally hired in 2007 to direct the summer program of OTP. With changes to the overall program structure in 2009, Baumann was appointed chief technical officer and was responsible for the technical programming of OTP’s summer and winter programs
Own the Podium is undergoing a review of the current program and structure and an analysis of the results achieved to date.
Dr. Jon Kolb Heads West
OTP’s Calgary-based office recently welcomed Dr. Jon Kolb who returned west from having spent his first year with OTP in Ottawa. The move will enable Jon to spend more time with the Calgary-based staff on the winter quad planning review process which is about to begin. Jon will continue to spend time in the Ottawa office each month to ensure the continued collaboration with the summer program.
Dr. Kolb provides leadership, expertise and assistance to targeted Olympic and Paralympic summer and winter sports in the creation, implementation and assessment of an integrated sport science and medicine program. He also assists with establishing specialized service agreements between the Canadian Sport Centres and OTP, and the National Sport Organizations and the Canadian Sport Centres.
Welcome back to the west Jon!
SIRCuit E-Journal Set to Merge Sport Science with Coaching
Own the Podium will join Sport Canada and SIRC to support SIRCuit, a web-based e-journal merging sport science with coaching. SIRCuit is focused on showcasing cutting edge, performance-based, applied sport science, health care and sport innovations on a quarterly basis.
With athletes, coaches, and integrated support team professionals in mind, health science professionals from the National Sport Science/Medicine Advisory Committee will contribute relevant articles and reviews of timely initiatives that Canadian coaches may not have access to on a regular basis.
Led by Dr. Jon Kolb, SIRCuit is designed with three core sections: articles/reviews; links to new trends in health science to support coaches training programs; and updated information on important sport web links.
With the first edition set to be published in April, SIRCuit will be looking for contributions from coaches, sport scientists and health care professionals. For those interested in submitting articles, please contact SIRC at www.sirc.ca.
Canadian Olympic Foundation
We Became One
In Vancouver, our winter athletes won more Olympic gold medals than any country ever before. All of Canada united to support our Olympic Team and celebrate their inspiring performances.
It wasn’t just about the medals we won, but how our country became one.
The unbelievable spirit demonstrated by all Canadians from every corner of the country was remarkable.
It’s amazing what we can achieve together. Now let’s show the world what we can do in London in 2012.
Support our athletes. Go to www.olympicfoundation.ca today and join other Canadians in the journey towards the next podium.
Upcoming Events
April 22 - Professional Development Breakfast (Ottawa, ON)
April 22 - Government of Canada Athlete/Coach Tribute (Ottawa, ON)
April 23 - 2010 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Team Parade (Montreal, QC)
April 23 - 24 – COC Congress and Hall of Fame Gala Dinner (Montreal, QC)
May19 - 20 – Vancouver 2010 Olympic Debrief (Calgary, AB)
May 31 - June 11 – OTP Winter Sport Review Process (Calgary, AB)
Nov 18 - 21– Petro Canada Sport Leadership Sportif (Ottawa, ON)
Podium Push - March 9, 2010
A Wonderful Performance By All
One thing for certain is that Canadians had an unprecedented experience during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
That was so evident from the record-breaking television audiences, enthusiastic spectators at the Olympic venues, and the enormous congregation of cheerful and patriotic fans that lined the street and squares of Vancouver and Whistler. The media from all over the world seemed to agree.
So, we thank the VANOC staff and volunteers for staging these wonderful Games, including the sensational torch run.
Own the Podium is delighted by the accomplishments of our winter sports over the past five years that we have worked with them. Our mandate was to provide resources and opportunities to targeted sports to help them meet their performance goals at the Games. The Olympic Games was the ultimate test for their athletes as they were expected to perform under unusual home pressures. They performed magnificently – all of them- and we want to thank them and their coaches and support personnel for making Canadians so proud.
And they did perform. Twenty-six medals, 14 gold, seven 4th place finishes, 17 5th place finishes, and 72 top eight finishes, the most of any nation. What is different than ever before is that we had more gold (14) medals than silver and bronze combined (12), and we had the most top eight finishes of any country. We have shown the world that we have significant depth of field at both the top and depth right behind.
All this success would not have been possible without the creation of Own the Podium, and without our funding partners. Sport Canada provided 56% of funding, VANOC corporate and provincial and territorial partners 38%, the COC 5%, with the CPC provided about 1%. The Canadian public also contributed through donations and the purchase of those great red mittens. For this we thank you.
This was a very worthwhile project that did a lot of good for Canadian sport and for our great country and its citizens.
Thank you, all, from OTP and in particular, its winter team.
Own the Podium Applauds Federal Government for its Investment in Canada’s Winter and Summer Sport Athletes
CALGARY—Own the Podium and Canada’s high-performance athletes congratulate the Harper government for responding to its request for replacement funding in the Own the Podium program, a unique initiative which played a critical role in Canada winning a historic 14 gold medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The federal government announced in Thursday’s budget it will provide $22 million a year into the Own the Podium program.
The Federal government’s commitment, to Own the Podium now totals $69 million annually, which includes a base level of funding of $22 million per year that will be directed to winter sport. For summer sport, the government of Canada’s support is set at $36 million a year which will be invested to athletes preparing for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The remaining $11 million will go toward creating programs targeted to further developing winter and summer athletes and targeted investments into Canadian Sport Centres.
“We have heard, overwhelmingly, from Canadians about how proud they are of our athletes’ tremendous performance in Vancouver and Whistler. It is clear that Canada wants to support our athletes in their pursuit for excellence and this replacement funding will help Own the Podium deliver on that desire,” said Roger Jackson, chief executive officer, Own the Podium. “Through Government support, Canada’s athletes have come a long way in their pursuit of excellence, and we are thrilled that Prime Minister Harper along with Ministers’ James Moore and Gary Lunn have taken a lead in ensuring this success will continue well into the future.”
“As an athlete who benefitted from Own the Podium support, I am thrilled that our Canadian government has stepped up to show their support for Canada’s winter athletes”, said Mellisa Hollingsworth, 2006 Olympic bronze medalist in skeleton. “Own the Podium has been one of the key difference makers in my career and I know that this investment will not only continue to help me with my goals in Sochi but it will also benefit the record number of athletes who came so close to landing on the podium in Vancouver and Whistler.”
Own the Podium Contributions
Own the Podium Facts
Backgrounder
Podium Push - November 2009
|
OTP Presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance |
|
Roger Jackson and Alex Baumann gave a well-received oral presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance in Ottawa in November. A written submission was presented initially to the Standing Committee in August, for an additional $22 million in funding for winter sports in an effort to offset the sun-setting of the Vancouver 2010, and other government revenues upon completion of those Games.
|
|
|
|
With just less than a month before Veronick Gagnon departs for maternity leave, Own the Podium is pleased to announce that Derek Hann has joined the OTP Team. Derek will replace Veronick while she is away, ensuring our administrative processes continue to function efficiently in Calgary. Derek comes to us with extensive administrative experience on the Alberta sport scene. |
|
|
|
Own the Podium staff members will hold a variety of roles leading up to and during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. OTP’s Nick Bass, Teresa Schlachter, and Steve Norris will be at the Games to collect information and data at various competition and training venues. The information we gather will assist with the post-Games OTP and NSO debrief process following the Games and will also help facilitate post-Games sharing of best practices with sports and OTP partners.
|
|
|
|
Two of Own the Podium’s employees will join CTV’s Olympic broadcast team in Vancouver-Whistler. Olympic silver medallist, Veronica Brenner, will serve as an analyst for men’s and women’s freestyle ski aerials and moguls events. Daniel Lefebvre, who is one of OTP’s high-performance advisors, will provide colour commentary for biathlon competitions at Whistler Olympic Park.
|
|
|
|
The Calgary and Ottawa offices will close December 24 at noon and will reopen on January 4, 2010. |
|
|
|
The Canadian Olympic Foundation has geared up for the final push to the podium and it is crucial that we have your support.
|
Podium Push - October 2009
|
Beyond 2010 Panel Reviews Canada’s High-Performance Sport System |
|
Own the Podium is delighted Minister Gary Lunn has initiated a review process of Canada’s high-performance sport system, and the role Own the Podium will play within it, as it helps define the future of sport in the country. Five roundtable sessions were held across Canada to obtain input from various parties within the sport community, and the panel is expected to provide the Minister with their report in November. Own the Podium hopes that the Minister acts quickly on the Panel’s report so that our sports, athletes and coaches can focus on the job at hand knowing the future has been addressed. Since Own the Podium was launched four years ago, the program has given sports, Canadian Sport Centres and others a start in where we need to go to create a truly effective and sustainable national high-performance sport system. |
|
|
|
This winter, keep warm and show your support of Canadian athletes in their quest for gold at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games by wearing a pair of Vancouver 2010 red mittens. Proceeds from the sale of the mittens, go to Own the Podium to support Canadian winter athletes. The knitted red mittens sport a white maple leaf stitched onto the palm, with the Olympic rings and Vancouver 2010 stitched on the back. Olympic fans will be able to purchase the mittens for $10 at the Bay, Zellers and Home Outfitter stores across Canada, as well as Olympic stores in both the Vancouver International Airport and Whistler. Red mittens will also be available in a selection of communities scheduled as part of the torch relay. |
|
|
|
Now is your chance to send encouragement and support to our Canadian athletes! A travelling interactive exhibit will be coming to a shopping location near you! The exhibit will include an interactive electronic greeting card, which will allow Canadians to send best wishes to their favourite athletes, and will also provide an opportunity for Canadians to make a donation to Own the Podium. Please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org for updates about this exciting initiative. |
|
|
|
Canadians will soon have easier access to tracking the results of Canadian athletes around the world in a timely and effective manner. Through its partnership with the University of Calgary, Own the Podium has developed a results database designed to provide Own the Podium staff, Canadian Sport Centres, National Sport Organizations, media, sponsors and fans of athletes and teams ready access to Canadian winter results. Available at www.ownthepodium.org, this user-friendly database contains World Cup and World Championship data from two winter seasons and the last three Olympic Winter Games. |
|
|
|
Own the Podium has launched a new website at www.ownthepodium.org. In an effort to keep Canadians up-to-date on Canadian athletes’ quest to own the podium at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the new site will feature information on Own the Podium programs and announcements, NSO and CSC funding, as well as a new media section containing videos and a photo gallery. In addition, users will also be able to access the new Own the Podium results database to track athlete performances. |
|
|
|
Canadian Olympic Foundation Leads Drive to Support Canadian Athletes |
|
The Canadian Olympic Foundation is a national charitable organization that provides Canadians with the opportunity to support the success of high-performance athletes across all Olympic and Paralympic sports. The Foundation is part of the Olympic family, and works with all national sport organizations. The Foundation is focused on helping Canada’s winter and summer athletes have access to the funds necessary to reach their podium potential. For more information, and to learn more about how to donate to the Foundation, please visit them at www.olympicfoundation.ca. |
|
|
|
The annual review process with targeted summer national sport organizations is scheduled to take place between October 26 and November 26 in Ottawa. This review process represents year two of Own the Podium’s four-year planning model approach. While the goal of the first year of the planning model enabled sports to set broad strategic goals, targets and structures for their high-performance programs this second year will permit sports to address operational challenges by focusing on five key areas including: • review of progress against the sports’ high-performance plan, and any modifications required for 2010-11 onwards; |
|
|
|
Many of Canada’s top coaches, high-performance directors and sport administrators will share their leadership experiences and interpretations of personal success at the 2009 Own the Podium Leadership Conference. Organized by Own the Podium, the theme of this year’s event will be “Shifting the Mindset”, and is open to all Own the Podium targeted sports. The conference will feature a number of high-profiled guest speakers from a variety of sport-specific areas including: Larry Smith, president of the Montreal Alouettes, and former Canada Games Chairman; Dr. Charles Samuels, Centre for Sleep and Human Performance; Dr. Shona Halson, Australian Institute of Sport; and Dr. Igor Burdenko, Burdenko Institute. The one-day event will be held at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, November 12, 2009, from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event will be followed by a Research Exposition and Social from 7:30-10 p.m. |
|
|
|
Own the Podium has been following the preparations for the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, October 3-15, 2010. Dr. Jon Kolb, manager of sport science and medicine for Own the Podium, just returned from a one-year countdown site visitation to observe the state of venue readiness and asses all environmental factors which may challenge performance for Canadian athletes at these Games. While construction continues at a slow pace, the Organizing Committee of the Delhi Games insists all venues will be completed by early next spring in time for the test events to occur. Own the Podium is supporting the Commonwealth Games Association of Canada in their initiatives to raise the performance bar at the 2010 Commonwealth Games for OTP targeted sports. |
|
|
|
October 29- Gold Medal Plates – Calgary |
Podium Push - September 2009
Welcome to Podium Push On behalf of the entire team at Own the Podium, I am pleased to bring you the first edition of the Podium Push monthly newsletter. As Canada’s winter athletes enter this critical 2010 Olympic season, and the nation’s top summer athletes’ journey to 2012 now well underway, we are committed to keeping the sport community and corporate partners informed on progress made as we strive to Own the Podium. This monthly newsletter will be used to profile members of our team, update you on results of Canadian athletes around the world, highlight key events and dates on the sport calendar, and to communicate organization announcements. We hope our partners will recognize this effort to keep you fully informed on the positive advancements Own the Podium is making to ensure Canadian athletes have access to the tools and resources needed to win. I hope you enjoy Podium Push, and I look forward to your feedback.
Government of Canada Gives Canadian Athletes Boost Towards Podium The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of State (Sport), announced last week the Government of Canada would be assisting its national funding partners by assuming payment of $11 million in funding for the Own the Podium (OTP) 2010 initiative, in support of the nation’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The announcement was made at a Canadian Olympic Committee event for OTP in Whistler, B.C.“This funding provided by the Government of Canada is an enormous help to athletes as they undertake their final preparations to win in 2010,” said Roger Jackson, chief executive officer, Own the Podium. “The generous financial support from the Government of Canada, along with Own the Podium’s other financial partners, has played a vital role in boosting Canadian athletes’ performance on the international stage to the highest level this country has ever achieved. I know Canada’s high-performance athletes thank the Canadian government for this funding, and we are so grateful for their continued support.” Merklinger and Wainwright join OTP Own the Podium added two key additions to its team of sport and technology experts.Anne Merklinger, whose impressive career in high-performance sport spans more than four decades as an athlete and leader, has been named director of summer sport for Own the Podium. An athlete most of her life, Merklinger will immerse herself in the summer high-performance culture while working closely with Own the Podium’s sport advisors, technical specialists along with the national sport governing bodies and Sport Canada. As director of summer sports, Merklinger will also bring funding recommendations to the senior management team, lead annual reviews, and develop new policies and programs designed to achieve excellence at the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. In addition, OTP also welcomed the addition of Barney Wainwright as its new performance technology advisor. In his new role Wainwright will be responsible for providing mentoring support to Canada's targeted summer sports as part of their preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games. Wainwright will also assist in the development and implementation of national training programs focusing on building capacity among Canada's summer and winter national sport organizations (NSOs) and Canadian Sport Centres (CSCs) in the areas of applied performance technology and advanced video systems. OTP Solidifies Senior Management Team for 2009-10 Season Own the Podium announced its senior management team that will play a critical role in helping Canadian summer and wintersport athletes achieve excellence during the 2009-10 season. Roger Jackson will continue to lead the world-unique initiative as chief executive officer. Jackson will be joined by double Olympic gold-medallist in swimming, Alex Baumann, who will assume the role of chief technical officer in September. Claire Buffone-Blair, who has been working alongside Jackson since the organization’s launch in 2005, will continue her role as director of planning and operations. While Anne Merklinger joins the team as director of summer sport. “This is dynamic team of individuals that bring tremendous experience in all facets of sport,” said Roger Jackson, chief executive officer, Own the Podium. “We streamlined our summer and winter sport operations earlier this year , and this unified group will work together and reinforce our commitment to provide all of Canada’s medal-potential athletes with access to the resources they need to be fully prepared to win.” BEYOND 2010 PANEL In July, Minister of State, Gary Lunn, announced he would be assembling an expert panel that will make recommendations to build on the positive momentum being achieved in Canadian sport today.Coined the “2010 and Beyond” panel, the diverse group of distinguished Canadian citizens are being tasked to analyze the progress of Own the Podium and other related high-performance initiatives and make recommendations on a leadership strategy for sport in the future.Own the Podium responded to this announcement, independent of its funding partners, in September by submitting its recommendations and view to the panel’s submission process. OTP Submission to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance In August, OTP submitted a financial request to the parliamentary committee on finance. In this submission, Own the Podium asked for $22-million in new funding that would allow the winter program to continue funding targeted winter sports and allow for strategic investments in junior athlete development and other high-performance sport program areas. This new funding is necessary to replace the $11-million in annual revenues from VANOC that will be lost following the 2010 Games as well as the $5 million in Government of Canada funding that is expected to sunset in 2010, and the contributions that the BC Government made in 2005 to support summer and winter high-performance sport.. Without this new funding, Own the Podium’s winter sport program revenues will decrease by over 55 per cent which would mean significant cuts to programs. NSO’S Gather for Winter Caucus Meeting Executives from each of Canada’s 14 winter sport organizations met on September 15 to identify any outstanding issues leading into the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, to discuss OTP’s role in intelligence gathering at the Games , while also looking briefly beyond 2010. A number of key presentations were made including Roger Jackson discussing OTP success over the last four years and the financial situation beyond 2010. Partner presentations were given by the Canadian Olympic Committee, Vancouver 2010, Sport Canada, and the Canadian Olympic Foundations Sport leaders were also presented information on the Canadian Sport Centre’s Billet program. OTP Begins Mid-Year Winter Sport Reviews Own the Podium is in the process of holding its regular mid-year review meetings with national sport organizations to discuss final strategies and identify any outstanding issues heading into the critical Olympic and Paralympic season. Three individual sport meetings took place in September and 10 more meetings are scheduled for October. OTP Funding Winter/Summer Own the Podium’s Board of Directors announced that for this final year of preparation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, 260 of Canada’s high-performance winter athletes will benefit from the largest “excellence funding” budget ever, - $27.5-milion - which will be distributed amongst 14 national winter sport federations, two Canadian Sport Centres, and on OTP’s flagship Top Secret program. Six per cent of OTP’s budget is spent on program operations.“Own the Podium recognizes this final year of funding is of critical importance to ensure Canadian athletes are fully prepared to achieve excellence in 2010,” said Jackson. “Many factors are considered when allocating the necessary funds required by each of Canada’s sport organizations. Own the Podium has met with each sport and their technical staff. We have reviewed each sport’s program with our funding partners. And we believe the approved budget will give Canadian athletes the financial boost needed to reach their medal potential.”Own the Podium funding for Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic winter-sport has grown from nearly $19.2-million annually during the program’s inception in 2005-06 to a total of just over $27.5 million in its final year of funding in 2009-10. Own the Podium’s funding partners have contributed a total of nearly $117-million throughout the five-year program.Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic winter-sport athletes showed the world there is a direct correlation between increased funding and performance. Canadian athletes have celebrated a steady increase in number of medals won since 2005, and made history during the 2008-09 season by finishing first overall in the World Championship medal count. Canadian winter athletes combined to win a total of 29 medals at Olympic sport World Championship events. The nation’s top Paralympic athletes also racked up 29 World Cup gold medals to secure the number one spot last year, and finished second in the World Championship tally. Canada’s summer-sport athletes also capitalized on a $25-million budget to achieve their goals at the 2008 Olympic Summer Games. Canada won 18 medals to finish 14th in the Olympic medal count, and 19 medals at the Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing to place seventh. Key Dates on the Sport Radar September 24 - Beyond 2010 Panel Roundtable Discussions – Ottawa September 29 - Beyond 2010 Panel Roundtable Discussions – Montreal October 6 - Beyond 2010 Panel Roundtable Discussions – Calgary October 15 - Canadian Sport Centre Pacific: Guest application, Athlete/Coach Referral Deadline October 19-23 - Winter NSO Mid-Year Reviews October 23 - Gold Medal Plates – Vancouver October 29 - Gold Medal Plates – Calgary October 27 – Nov. 26 -Summer NSO Annual Meetings October 30 - Torch Relay Beings – Athens, Greece November 12 - OTP Conference November 12-13 - SPIN Conference November 13-15 - Coaching Association of Canada Petro-Canada Sport Leadership
OTP Newsletter Celebrating a Year of Excellence 2009
OTP Newsletter One Year Countdown 2009
OTP Newsletter Off-Season 2008
OTP Newsletter Post-Season 2008
OTP Newsletter Mid-Season 2008
OTP Newsletter Pre-Season 2007
OTP 07-08 Progress Report
OTP 06-07 Annual Review
OTP Fact Sheet
OTP Manifesto
