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By Andrew MoCredia =
Sports Baliton
an dvew@nsnewscon F

MONG the more =;
telllng paradoxes of
Athe modern wortd is ,
the Olymple Gamey,

** Loag tated asa level playing Geld
for? amateur athletes, the modern’
Games ave staday: merely a twosveek
“enerelse diy atass marketing, as wealthy
“anvatette” athletes take on their poor:
er cousins under the velled disguise af
fin play, 6
2 Witness the billlons spent on televie
Hon rights worldwides witness the
scramble ta become che “Oltiehl
coe (your prodtict here) of the Olymple
«ove Games") witness?’ gokl medial whiners.
. Pllogging: shampoo, - renteacars, and:
fast food on TV and in print advertis«
Heer ee see :

FOR tho contemporary
amatour athlete, success
_on thelr chosen fleld of ..
dreams depends on thelr - .
ability to harvoat a fleld of
eee | green. With government" *:
Tie contrasty-look at the Canadian -_ HEN pean Gf. HAUT RyAAY LAR one eo ie ; Cutbacks to sport funding *»,'.
Olympig | Assocdation’s |< Value , 7° ‘ pate Ain aT ; at ita” typitying the past decade, |
* Statement: “We believe id the right ie ; ; TE MO Le Ute gah aay Re amateur.athlietes and).
nf all people to participate in sport or

ft ° . : sport organizations’
w pursue thelr personal levels of excel>

throughout British. 85
‘Columbia have undergone ....
‘a funding revolution. . “og,

lence Pee Be, a
(Let's. amend that slightly for. the =:
tres: “We believe... in the right offalle | . ae te ve We
people to solidit money from corpora | aan — wd Se Be ee Se EL _
. tons(to participate in’sport or to pursue their own sponsorship * * the loss of lottery revenues rather, it
: © deals toachieve thelr personal levels of excellence.” |” ois the tentious state of current find
as Clearly, the’ best words. of advice for young, athletes with > tags “There fs at this polat tiv time in’
“Olympic Dreams dancing through their heads are: “If you can't _-- BC. no legislation that fprotiets
Be : “oy sport and-recreation, The closest we

LY
mS

pay, you can’t play? a ba
‘Ag Cartuda spins more and more into. the “user-pay” philoso- *" had ‘to ‘that, was when we received”
“ouphy : ! ‘s the designated funds from the lot:
J. rooms, Olympic wainalbes will not only need to be adept at’ their B Roy
~ chosen’ sport; they'll also need the skills to take care of business, “A Culture, heritage and tourism”;
8 Fivestime Canadian’ Olympian, Charmaine Crooks knows’all * - as, finding all have binding legislation:
too well how.important taking care of business is for survival as a inBc. . ey ™
track and field athlete in the 19905, 5 core de Sport does not, |
‘The North Vancouver resident has seen the Canadian antateur *: fe wi
, athletic) culturé-go: from a relatively well-funded machine in the “© funding to sport could be cut with: CHR
1980s to the thread-bare outfit it is today, . out violating one bill of legislation,  [IRSIMDIBN ERE
; : . Sport B.C, currently receives about”, TRZS TIMUR MRO
Tunding shortage facing amateur athletes, . Q « ?2 $5.5 million: from the’ provincial - EQS ieee
7" SL think amateur sports has woken up to the fact that we have “. government, which in turn funds 65. IRC
Sao Aa ares” ta have, corporate sponsors “—: eo: Father this year the
© they're basically the backbone of the: - . Interestingly, an event that coins (IRA IGe TEL ames
future,” Crooks said as she prepared y. cided with Harcourt’s decision to selected by the”
.o,  shange lottery finding also had a. IRR eerery
©. the running tracks of’ Europe, profound: impact on} Sport B.C’s BRIERE tae eaten
~ "The ‘Continent is“definitely :the . .., ability to fund amateur athletics, : SUQMIRERASTERR erp
saving, grace for. track athletes likey ”- : ]
*' Crooks, Her longtime sponsorship — “Johnson doping ‘scamdalwas_ “the” TIAN eRe ea
relationship with Reebok hinges on first place that amateur athletiés lost” - IARI ielaates naan
itsinngcence.” 390 BP Nagano Japan
in Canada take the back seat — in _ According to Stevenson, such.a - (ORES TGR eRe ary
both prestige and money! ge loss of integrity prompted govern: . BRET Ee MOn Ga ean)
For example, Crooks received .
oo, > $150 tor her sixth-place finish at last ~~, atld thus made cutting sport finding, . BREUER mere tenes
eRe year’s Harry. Jerome Track: Classic “amore palatable decision, "G) 2° RST
ison Sydor has Another «fallout. from. the. HRS oso
Johnson scandal was felt at the’cor- ” BBSES CGS ears
years as a member of

turned tha business of
turing spokes into a

“phy for-cverything fronisoccer elds to, roads to public-wasl ° : oe i . - . . oan
. tery,”
; "So, ifite was the will of Victoria, all 7
ve” But the Richtiond Kajak ‘club member is pragmatic about the
sport organizations,“
for yet another summer season on
Stevenson’ believes . the “Ben a schedute that
her European exposure, while events
“ments to ‘regard sport “as corrupt, [ROR eeu
Race -— winner Cathy Freeman

__ feceived $1,500. A tidy sum for an.
“afternoon's work, but without spon-. 3°

-protitable cakes “The

three time Mountain .&

Bike World Champion
ane Olygapic silver
maitafist ts currently
spansored by annum

\ bec of high protide
c DAPANS mcluding
Volva Canada which

Suppltes the Noah
ouver Nsident

Shiny get-of

‘whebls and sponsor

ship money (hat

helped Sydor birya
house in Edgemont
Nuiflage "Despite being
Shelately new ‘sport
‘On the world scene.
mougtain Biking has

quickly surpassed

tore traduronal~

_ ‘sports in attragting?
the! all-important -

‘sponsorship bucks. , §

sorship money coming inthe mail,”
hardly cnough to warranea full-time
career.’ ;

"> Crooks, a bright, personable and

highly “focused "individual, isthe -
exception, In addition to forging a.

"world-class career as an 800m. run-

ner, Crooks has worked as a televi-.

* find the Montreal Olympics, feder= 2
ally operated ticket lottenes ushered
ina new era for Canadian amateur

athletics, OM,
The all-ericompassing “Culture” *

Athe arts, sports, heritage ete.) was

porate sponsorship level. 2.

“-~ “Sponsors want to see a return;
eo van’ their investment, and ‘so. with
7 ‘something like Ben Johiison, they ° BGIIErRnRe DI GemD

were putting all their eggs in one” UIE EEE aca
'" . basket, one athlete,” says Stevenson, her pennies tor the

the Development
Team =o she Ite

i ‘Today, more and more sponsors * ski season
are looking to fund groups and orga- aan ae
_& nizations rather than one athlete. °
cade "spending their sponsorship dollars. - -:- ¥ ‘
abated As for courting corporate sponsorships itself, Sport B.C, does,
“but Stevenson says the organization is often seen as a competitor |
vt for sponsorship dollars with the very athletes and groups they are
‘trying to help. . te

“ce

ince athlete assistance has dried tip, the individual athletes are

ll controls the lot- - are the organizations that are trying to support the athlete,” .

Call it survival of the sponsored.

_ And finally, Stevenson and Sport B.C. grapple with perhaps the *
1

ultimate paradox when it comes to amateur athletics,
“As a,society we scem to be very interested in: making sure",
* everything is fair and equal,” says Stevenson, citing Canada’s inter:
national fair-minded reputation and our universal health care sys-
* ten as examples. “But when push comes to shove we also want
“gold medals,”
A.1995 Angus Reid poll, found that 91%: of B.C. residents
« believe spart funding should be increased, or ag the very, least,
* remained unchanged. So far, those voices have not been heard in
the hallowed halls of the provincial legislature. And if they. have
been heard, they’ve been ignored, . . ee
Next Sunday: Vancouver Couricr. news editor Neville Judd inves-

tigates the ave of securing collegiate athietic scholarship’s south of the

border

Stevenson cites support fora coaching program, or the span- ..
sorship of a rowing team, as examples of ways corporations are.

" “going out and trying to attract their own sponsors,” she says. “So” -