Was "Own the Podium" A Success?

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics saw host nation Canada end up with 14 gold medals, more than any other competing nation and the most they have ever gotten at an Olympics. National pride was evident from coast to coast in this self-described polite and humble country, as evidenced by the selling of every single pair of those famous red mittens (about 3.5 million).

Much of the credit for this record haul can go to the Own the Podium program, developed in 2005 with the stated intentions of improving Canadian performance at the Olympics through increased funding for athletes. Two of the goals of the program are to "place first in the overall medal count at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games" and "place in the top 12 nations in medal count at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games".

The first test of the effectiveness of Own the Program was at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The official website of Own the Podium says that Canada had a target of a top-16 finish, which they accomplished by finishing tied for 13th in overall medals. Success! Or, wait. Not quite. According to how the rest of the world measures successful nations at the Olympics, by gold medals won, Canada finished in 18th place, with only 3 out of 18 won. By overall medals, Canada achieved their objective, but not by gold medals.

Canadians went to the streets in huge numbers to celebrate the Winter Olympics success

Fast forward to the end of the Vancouver Games. The delirium over Canada's amazing feat of capturing 14 gold medals exploding over the country in an orgy of chest-thumping and flag-waving. While the host nation ended on a high note, a few days earlier at the Games and everyone was getting down on themselves due to Canada's low placing at the medal table. Excuses were rampant, criticism of Own the Podium was all the rage, and the amount of money spent on Own the Podium was seen as unjustified, considering the results. Federal funding of the program in the future was even put in doubt. In fact, at the time, it seemed more like the United States team which was "borrowing" the podium (the U.S. would go on to accumulate more medals at this Winter Olympics than they had ever done, topping the medal table for the first time in decades).

Though it seemed, about a week before the end of the games, that Canadians were forcing themselves to be consoled with the prospect of winning in Hockey, by the end of the Vancouver games, the nation was on a high, due to winning several golds in curling, speed skating, and ice hockey. Success!

Or was it? Yes, Canada won more gold medals than any ever has. That's an undeniably amazing result. But it wasn't the main intention for Own the Podium, as stated by the program's official website. It seems that, just like for the Beijing Olympics, the program was justified in calling victory only when it suited them, by turning the tables around on what "success" meant. Canada got 3 gold medals at the Beijing Summer Olympics, but received 14 at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. At the Summer Games, Canada told themselves they did well to finish in 13th place, even though they were actually 18th. At the Winter Games, Canada told themselves they were number one, though if they had measured themselves how they had in 2008 (and at every other Olympics), they would have been in third, a distant 11 medals behind the United States.

In the end, it doesn't matter too much how one labels success, only that they are consistent in how they call it. Yelling about being number one sounds hollow when just a few days before the entire program was being lambasted for failure to gain enough medals (not just gold).

So, what's it gonna be? Gold, or overall medals? The United States considers success at an Olympics in terms of overall medals. If they finished with less gold medals than other medals, which is what happened, they'd be fine with that. The rest of the world measures success in terms of gold medals won. What will happen in London 2012 if Canadian athletes win more gold than silver or bronze, but finish outside of the target spot? Will that be successful? If they win only one or a few gold medals, but enough silver and bronze to achieve a top-12 finish, will that be successful? Would it vindicate Own the Program? Only time will tell, but it shouldn't be too much to ask for clear, unbiased opinions in regards to results.