Alan in Montréal Posted February 28, 2010 Report Share Posted February 28, 2010 I say Canada "Owns the Podium". Canada sets record: MOST GOLD MEDALS EVER WON IN AN OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES!! Previous record held by the Soviet Union in 1976!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olympian Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Canada did own the top step of the podium. That says a lot. Well done Canada. As Ted Kennedy has said a lot of time: The Work begins anew, the cause endures and the dream shall never die! The march to Sochi has begun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyelBrazil Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I'm glad Canada won on Ice Hockey. I was backing them! Sweet, Canada! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massi Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I backed Canada all the time during these Olympics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheal_warren Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 The Ice Hockey win was the Icing on the cake for Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorabilia Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Well done Canada. Hope you could keep this level in 4 years & after... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 My hat goes off to Canada, but they did not "own" the podium. Indeed, the did own the top of the podium. Let's not forget the U.S. set a record during these Games as well. Most medals in a Winter Olympics. It was also the first time the U.S. won the most medals in a WOG since 1932. In Nagano, the U.S. only won 13 medals, and that was the most they had ever won. Now, just 12 years later, we were able to beat Germany's record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanisMinor Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 My hat goes off to Canada, but they did not "own" the podium. Indeed, the did own the top of the podium. Let's not forget the U.S. set a record during these Games as well. While there is no denying that Team USA had a great games, I have to disagree with you. Canada owned the podium, and they did it fairly, without having to resort to 10 year old gymnasts. At the end of the day, what matters is gold. Ask nearly any athlete - they'll take one gold over two silvers any day. Amazing effort Canada! A great Games, from a great, achieving sporting nation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan in Montréal Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) These were actually OUTSTANDING Games for North America! The USA set a record for the total number of medals won. Canada set a record for total gold medals ever won in a Winter Olympics. BUT, I still say Canada owns the podium. Consider the case of just two nations competing in the Games. One wins 10 gold and nothing else. The other wins 11 bronze and nothing else. Who has had the more successful Olympics? Just something to think about. Edited March 1, 2010 by Alan in Montreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Both did amazingly. This thread's like driving past in your Ford Focus to see two guys arguing over who has the better Ferrari. Our Ford Focus is Gold Plated though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan in Montréal Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I think a lot of this questioning relates to the fact that the "Own the Podium" program took a major PR hit the first week of the Games (both in the domestic and international media). But now it's being reconsidered and is being labeled as a major success, which contributed to the outstanding performance of our athletes. Remember - this is Canada's third occasion hosting the Games, and yet until Vancouver 2010, we had never won a gold medal at home. So for us, setting a record for the number of golds won is very amazing. Both did amazingly. This thread's like driving past in your Ford Focus to see two guys arguing over who has the better Ferrari. Our Ford Focus is Gold Plated though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Yes, it can't be considered anything but a success. An unfortunate name to give an athlete development programme in retrospect, but it's paid dividends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walei Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I still don't get what's the fuss is about with the name Own the Podium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan in Montréal Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) I still don't get what's the fuss is about with the name Own the Podium. Apparently, it's rude to invite people to the Games in your own nation and then have the audacity to suggest that you want to win as many medals as possible. I think it's also considered to be "out of character" for Canadians. Oh well. As they said last night during the CC - "SORRY!" Edited March 1, 2010 by Alan in Montreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I don't think it's so much that Alan. I think there's a little bit of that in it, but it's hard to disagree the name hasn't caused its own problems. The less responsible journalists (some British sadly) who wrote stories about athletes not getting sufficient time on the Whistler track were given a phrase with which to beat the Canadians. Grossly unfair, but it did happen. The "Own the Podium" thing was very easily morphed into "Own the Venues" and unfair implications regarding lack of sportsmanship were flying around. With a more muted name for this programme this may not have happened to the same extent. Furthermore, as Matthew Pinsent suggests, "somehow, via a complicated formula of over-egging it and calling Own The Podium the wrong thing, they've left plenty of Canadians with the idea that their team hasn't done very well or performed to expectations." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/8541301.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4gamesandcounting Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Great to see Canada top of the medals table (in all countries except Canada!) well done. You owned the podium! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 "Own the Podium" is just a name of a fund/program for Canadian athletes leading to the 2010 Games. And we have IOC President Jacques Rogge to thank, after he pleaded governments here to fund our athletes more ahead of the Games. Similar programs/funding increases have happened at every Olympics for the host country...why else would the Greeks have won so many medals in 2004? The Chinese in Beijing? The Italians in Torino? Some of these nations chose to give it a neutral name like "Winter Sports Fund" for instance (would it make you all happy if Canada did that?) and others simply made these programs/initiatives nameless. The whole thing has been sensationalized, it shouldn't even be an issue at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 That's exactly what I'm saying X. It has been sensationalised and it shouldn't even be an issue, you're right. But to say the sensationalisation of this name by the media wasn't predictable is a little naive. In retrospect if the organisers could have called it something else, I'm sure they would have done. It's the results that count though, and they'll be there for all to see in decades to come, when this furore has become the most minor of footnotes in Olympic history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lehari Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Great to see Canada top of the medals table (in all countries except Canada!) well done. You owned the podium! Why? Are you English? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) Lehari, your snide remarks at every post saying anything positive about Canada are getting kind of boring. I get it that you don't like a lot of what you've seen (that's your opinion, fair enough) but it seems to me you're not dealing very well with the fact that most other people here disagree with your opinions. Here, this is on me... Edited March 1, 2010 by RobH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lehari Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Lehari, your constant bitching at every post which says anything positive about Canada is getting boring. Isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Yeah, but a home-court advantage to me dilutes the victory. It would NOT have happened if it were in foreign snows. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Baron, people could say the same about the U.S. as well (kind of). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Baron, people could say the same about the U.S. as well (kind of). Yeah, I don't deny that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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