Pubdate: Sat, 09 Sep 2000 Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON) Copyright: The Hamilton Spectator 2000 Contact: http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/ Author: Howard Elliott HEAD SHAKING DOESN'T HELP CANADA'S ATHLETES It has been a tough week for Olympic athletes, and for anyone else still clinging to the tattered remnants of the Olympic ideal. Olympic woes: Our teams need our support Tough because every time an athlete tests positive for banned substances, many of us become more cynical about "amateur" athletics. Tough because the latest embarrassments come at the precise time proponents of Toronto's campaign to land the 2008 Olympics need Canadians to become infected with the enthusiasm surrounding the games in Sydney. And tougher still because these events -- the positive drug tests, drunk driving charges against a Niagara Falls boxer and a tempest in a teapot over naked skiers adorning a calendar -- come at a time when Canada's Olympians need support, and recognition that, by international standards, they are not treated particularly well in their homeland. In fact, the level of government support for elite athletes in Canada is among the lowest in the developed world. This is a reflection of a curious selective ambivalence. When the Olympics or international championships roll around we're all interested. But the rest of the time, they barely show up on our radar. This fickle affection can colour our perceptions. Take the matter of drug use, for example. Notwithstanding the specifics of the most recent cases, many people tend to see this as a failure, not only on the part of the athletes (which it is) but the Canadian Olympic movement in general. In fact, it can be viewed as the opposite. Canada remains among the most vigilant of nations regarding drug use by athletes. Many countries have much greater tolerance than we do, and some even seem to encourage the practice. In the same week as two Canadians were booted from their respective teams, 27 Chinese athletes were sent home, many for drug use. An American study released yesterday claims the International Olympic Committee doesn't do enough to fight drug use, which might be as high as 90 per cent in some sports. (The IOC says that figure is wildly inflated.) In short, we should in no way countenance or minimize drug use among athletes, but nor should we generalize or consider Canada a laggard on the matter. As another example of our fickle attitudes, consider the growing controversy around members of our cross-country ski team who posed in the buff for a fundraising calendar. The venture is getting the "how-dare-they-do-this" treatment in some quarters. Whether this is appropriate or not is a matter of taste (a preview is available at www.nordicnudes.com and, for what it's worth, our view is that these are no more salacious than any painting depicting the nude form), but there's a larger question at hand. One of the main reasons the women decided to disrobe is to raise money for their team. The budget for Canada's Nordic skiers has been slashed by two-thirds since 1992 -- from $1 million to $300,000. Frankly, we're more disturbed that our Olympians have to go to this length to raise money to begin with than by the calendar. Canada treats its Olympic athletes and its soldiers in much the same way: We admire them when they're winning, we get in a snit when they lose or mess up, and we'd rather not hear about them the rest of the time, especially if they need more money. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager