Money talks at the Vancouver Olympics

Flipping through the newspapers this morning, I couldn't believe how many articles I found about money and the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. It seems that people have lost their motivation to succeed for themselves, and that spending, making, and winning money, is central in the Olympics.

Case in point, an Alberta company called Fast Track Group is offering $1 million to any Canadian who wins gold in luge. Luge? Not hockey, not skiing, not figure skating...luge. The company will award the Canadian Luge Association $500,000 and give the other half to the winning luger.

And then there was an article about Own The Podium, Canada's funding program to support athletes in hopes of winning more medals for the nation at the Olympic Games. The program costs tax payers $66 million over 5-years, and this program, which is losing a portion of its money following the Games in Canada, is asking for another $22 million from the government.

I'll go on. We also have the budget for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. In a recent poll, most Canadians said they thought the games would lose money. They're probably right considering the Vancouver officials are paying $1000 per truck load of snow to stock all of Cypress Mountain, and who knows how much for the helicopter loads of snow being flown in.

And then we have the fact that this is the first Olympic Games that the Canadian Olympic Committee is rewarding medal winners with cash. $20,000 for a gold, $15,000 for a silver, and $10,000 for a bronze. I'll take one of each please.

Finally, it comes down to sponsorship. I'm not talking about Coke, or Nike. I'm talking about the fact that an amazing organization, Right to Play, was told they were not welcome at the Olympic Games because their sponsors conflicted with current Olympic Games sponsors. In case you don't know about Right to Play, they bring sport to children in areas struck by poverty, war, and disease. Just the kind of dirty organization that we should keep away from a sporting event right VANOC?

Money really does talk these days. It's unfortunate that the Olympic Games, an event that was once the world's greatest display of amateur sport, is becoming such a professional and commercial venture.

Let the games begin.

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