Sport Performance Weekly

May 1st, 2006

Sylvie Bernier (CP image)

Sylvie Bernier to lead Team Canada in Beijing.
JAMES CHRISTIE
Globe and Mail Update

As the world's dominant country in the sport of diving, the Chinese are already familiar with Canada's chef de mission for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Sylvie Bernier, 42, of Sainte-Foy, Que., was the last non-Chinese diver to win the Olympic three-metre springboard event. For the past five Olympic Games, the Chinese women have owned the springboard, but in 1984 at Los Angeles, Bernier ruled and became the first Quebec female athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.

I think they'll remember that," said Bernier, who has been a fixture on the Olympic scene for more than two decades. After her win at Los Angeles, she covered five Olympics as a broadcast commentator, then was appointed assistant chef for the Turin Winter Games in February, where Canada won a record total of 24 medals on ice and snow.

"I applied for Beijing before Torino and was interviewed last week," Bernier said in an interview from the Canadian Olympic Committee's congress in Quebec City. "I was so happy with the news when they called me. I'm truly honoured to have been selected. . . . I've always considered it a privilege to serve the Canadian Olympic team in a leadership capacity."

The chef's position is a voluntary one. COC sources said the committee has yet to determine the size of the team Bernier will oversee, "but I expect it will be in the range of 270 to 280," she said.

Given the Olympic ethos in Canada, with the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010 on the horizon, there will be a strong imperative for podium performances. Bernier stands as a good example of that dedication. She left home at 19 to spend a year in Montreal training 12 hours a day for the Los Angeles Games. In the lead-up to the Olympics, she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1982 and a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 1983.

A consistent performer on the world stage, Bernier captured a remarkable total of 10 gold medals and had a total of 21 podium finishes during her 31 international competitions between 1978 and 1983. She was Canada's female athlete of the year in 1984.

While the Canadian Olympic Committee's goal is for the country to stand first with 35 medals at the Vancouver Olympics, Bernier said the task for summer athletes at Beijing will be to be in the top 16 with 18 medals in a larger field of 200 countries.

"I think the COC is aware [not to overlook summer athletes] and it's working on a program for Summer Games. We all want great performances in Beijing. We're much more conscious of the work being done for all athletes with sport excellence funding, psychologists and trainers, and we're transferring the learning to the Summer Games."

Bernier will spend the next two years building her staff for the mission. A mother of three, she also had careers in the pharmaceutical and financial industries over the past 17 years.

2006/07 Canadian Freestyle Ski Team Announced

Vancouver, BC, April 28, 2006 -- After a very successful 2005/06 season that featured an Olympic gold medal by Jennifer Heil and Canada being named the winner of the FIS Nations’ Cup as the top freestyle ski team, the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association announced the make-up of the 2006/07 team today.

“This is a team that should be able to both defend the FIS Nations’ Cup and be a real force at the 2007 FIS World Championships”, said the CFSA’s Director of High Performance Gord Hopper. “We are working with a group of athletes who have had Olympic experience, and are young enough to be in a prime position for the 2010 Olympics. We are very excited as we continue our build up for 2010.”

2006-2007 National Teams

World Cup Mogul Team:

World Cup Aerial Team:

(Grace Chiu Photo)

Canadians win three more medals at trampoline and tumbling World Cup.
Canadian Sport News/Nouvelles-sport canadien

GHENT, Belgium- Julie Warnock of Calgary won the gold medal in women’s double mini trampoline posting a world record for the highest degree of difficulty for her routine to highlight a triple medal performance for Canada Sunday to conclude the fifth stop on the World Cup trampoline and tumbling circuit.

Canada ended the World Cup event with five medals.  ‘’I’m really happy with the gold,’’ said Warnock.  ‘’Everything went well. My training and warm-ups were good so I just tried to stay focused during the competition.  The skills are very hard and this was the first time that I was able to put it together at an international competition.’’

Jane Bickerstaffe of Maple Ridge, B.C., added a bronze medal and Rose James of North Bay, Ont., was eighth.  Warnock, Bickerstaffe, James and Erica Hart of Airdrie, Alta., combined forces for silver in the team competition.

‘’I completed all my passes which was my goal,’’ said Bickerstaffe.  ‘’In the team competition I did the routine that I had messed up at worlds last year and did it really well today.  It was very exciting for us to get the team silver as well after winning the bronze at the world championships last year.’’

On Saturday, Olympic medallist Karen Cockburn of Toronto and Emily Smith of Burlington, Ont., were bronze medallist in trampoline and tumbling respectively.

Vanoc banks on windfall from lotto deals.
The Vancouver Sun

John Furlong is betting lottery ticket buyers across Canada will pour millions of dollars into the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, helping his organization stave off a potential shortfall.

Furlong, chief executive officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee, said Wednesday Vanoc is negotiating with several provincial lotteries to sell them Olympic marketing rights in return for lucrative deals that would help the committee's bottom line. He's hoping to negotiate deals with lottery corporations similar to the one Vanoc signed with the B.C. Lottery Corp. earlier this year which will see Vanoc get $15 million over the life of the six-year agreement.

And he's also hoping to emulate the success of the 1988 Calgary Winter Games' lottery program, in which provincial lottery agencies generated $100 million in revenue for the federal government. Vanoc's marketing plan, if successful, would be an unexpected boon since Vancouver's bid corporation had never budgeted lottery revenues in the budget it submitted to the International Olympic Committee.

It also comes at a time when Vanoc is scrambling to find every available dollar and is wrestling with a budget that was created in fixed 2002 US dollars that didn't account for inflation. Since that time, the Canada-U.S. exchange rate has dropped from $1.55 to $1.20, meaning Vanoc has to find an additional $300 million just to make up the difference. "We have started to have quiet conversations with [provincial lottery corporations] and we would very much like to find a way to have agreements with them that are like the one we have here," he said following a speech to the Canadian Gaming Summit and Exhibition in Vancouver.

Furlong was careful to describe the negotiations as preliminary. But they clearly have the potential to help solve a vexing financial problem for Vanoc, whose $1.3 billion operating budget has now ballooned to nearly $1.7 billion. It also has stated its venue construction costs, originally pegged at $470 million, have risen to $580 million. That program, however, is paid for by the federal and provincial governments.

Furlong, who has made it a mission to sell the Vancouver Olympics as "Canada's Games," said he wants the country's four other provincial lottery corporations to use that theme market for supporting the Games. "We are hoping that over the long haul the lottery corporations across the country might be convinced to become involved in some work with us," he said. "Which is to support the Games, support for amateur sport and to not do it at the disadvantage of any other programs."

Renee Smith-Valade, Vanoc's vice-president of communications, said the organization did not want to say how much money those potential agreements might bring. "We intend to fully pursue the opportunities with other provincial lotteries, however it would be premature to speculate on the revenue potential those may represent," she said in an e-mail.

The potential is huge. Funding of Olympic programs has a long tradition in Canada; the first official lottery ever held was for the purpose of funding the 1976 Montreal Summer Games, and provincial lotteries across Canada generated more than $100 million for the 1988 Calgary Winter Games.

By those standards, Vanoc's B.C. lottery deal is small. But Vic Poleschuk, president of BCLC, said the Olympics represent a tremendous marketing opportunity for provincial lottery programs and he wouldn't be surprised to see his colleagues in other provinces join in. "You have to remember that Calgary generated about $100 million in lottery revenues. While the market is a little different now, there isn't any reason to believe there isn't a lot of potential to link this to the Olympic brand," he said.

In February the Crown-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. announced a Quest for Gold ticket program aimed at supporting amateur sport. Last week it handed out $2.9 million in proceeds to Ontario sports groups and athletes, including $1.9 million to 850 elite competitors.

Furlong also told reporters after the speech he's hopeful the federal budget to be announced on Tuesday will include Vanoc's request for an additional $55 million for its construction program, but hasn't been given any indication yet that the money is coming. "I haven't had any indication yet, but all I can tell you is that at this moment there is quite a bit of due diligence going on in both governments on our documentation and our numbers," he said.

Last year Vanoc asked the federal and provincial governments for $110 million, in addition to the $470 million they jointly agreed in 2002 to contribute to the construction of the Olympic venues.

Vanoc made the request after a boom in the construction market drove estimates out of whack. It also complained the budget was constructed in fixed 2002 U.S. dollars that didn't account for inflation and that the decline in foreign exchange rates left it critically short of cash.

The former Liberal minority government never approved the request before it was defeated in a confidence vote. As recently as three weeks ago, Furlong was in Ottawa lobbying David Emerson, the minister responsible for the Olympics, and Michael Chong, the minister for sport.

Sylvie Frechette (CP)

Sylvie Fréchette, Curt Harnett and Pierre Harvey Head List of 2006 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Inductees.
(COC)

QUEBEC CITY, April 29, 2006 – Two-time Olympic medallist Sylvie Fréchette, three-time Olympic medallist Curt Harnett and two-sport Olympian Pierre Harvey head a list of six inductees who will be enshrined this evening in the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.

Fréchette, Harnett and Harvey will each be inducted in the athlete category.  The 1920 Winnipeg Falcons will be enshrined in the team category while Dr. Douglas Clement and Maurice Gagné will be inducted as a coach and builder respectively. “Being inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is one of the most meaningful and enduring honours a member of our Olympic Family can earn,” said Canadian Olympic Committee President Michael Chambers. “Together, tonight’s inductees represent Canadian Olympism at its highest level and we congratulate them on their achievements and the legacy they have left us.”

The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame recognizes those who have served the cause of the Olympic Movement with distinction.  Hosted by Olympic diving gold medallist Sylvie Bernier, the induction ceremony will take place at the Théâtre Capitole de Québec in Quebec City beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The inductees include:

Athlete Category

Sylvie Fréchette (synchronized swimming, Laval, Que.), gold medallist (solo) at the 1992 Olympic Games and silver medallist (team) at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Curt Harnett (cycling, Thunder Bay, Ont.), silver medallist (1,000 metres) at the 1984 Olympic Games and bronze medallist (sprint) at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.

Pierre Harvey (cross-country skiing and cycling, Rimouski, Que.), the first male athlete from Quebec to participate in both the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games in the same year.

Team Category

1920 Winnipeg Falcons (ice hockey, Winnipeg, Man.), captured the first ever Olympic gold medal in ice hockey at the 1920 Olympic Games.

Coach Category

Dr. Douglas Clement (athletics, Vancouver, B.C.), co-founded one of the premier track clubs in Canada – the Richmond Kajaks and coached several top-ranking athletes to the international level.

Builder Category

Maurice Gagné (speed skating, Charlesbourg, Que.), founded more than 30 speed skating clubs between 1967 and 1990 and was instrumental in attracting many international speed skating events to Quebec.

Full biographies of the inductees are available at www.olympic.ca.

Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan waves the Olympic flag

Beijing tries to improve its population's manners before 2008 Games.
National Post

Smoke-filled taxis, public belching and spit-strewn sidewalks: When it comes to China, the list of things that perplex and infuriate both visitors and locals is long.
Pushing in crowds, cutting into line and talking loudly in movie theatres, are also all too common, said Liao Fei, a researcher who must determine how to improve manners in Beijing before the 2008 Olympics.

The city is preparing for the Summer Games by building gleaming sports venues and hundreds of kilometres of new roads and light-rail lines to transport 600,000 foreigners expected to visit the city.

But some experts are more concerned with social behaviour in this city of 15.4 million people. Authorities are worried that loud cellphone talkers, dog-poop-strewn sidewalks and incomprehensible public signs will leave a lasting bad impression. "If we don't change our habits before 2008, the world will look down on China," said Zhou Shiji, the Beijing author of Doing Instead of Knowing.

The book "teaches people how to establish good habits," he said. "Many Chinese know that their habits are bad, but they don't change because everyone else is doing the same things. "People know they shouldn't talk on their cellphones during movies, but if other people are doing it, they will, too."

Spitting in public is common on the streets of any Chinese city. Last month, government officials in Beijing launched a campaign to change that practice. Volunteers wearing uniforms emblazoned with the Chinese character for "mucous" will hand out millions of "spit bags" to encourage "civilized spitting," said Zhang Huiguang, director of Beijing's Capital Ethical and Cultural Development Office. "We will work with newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, the Internet and mobile-telephone carriers to teach people the right way to spit," Zhang said at a news conference.

Many Chinese refuse to swallow their spit because they believe mucous is poisonous, said Sha Lianxiang, a psychologist at the Humanistic Olympics Studies Centre. "When I was young my parents told me that if I swallowed my spit it would turn into a worm in my stomach," she said.

Beijing also has employed 1,500 "civilized bus-riding" supervisors to discourage crowding and fighting at bus stops, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The city has also hired 3,180 workers to stop pedestrians and cyclists from crossing streets against the light and will increase the number to more than 5,000 by 2008, local media report.

Last year, a Chinese-Canadian businessman gave frustrated Chinese and foreign visitors a place to vent their frustrations about the country's manners. ChinaRant.com is a community blog dedicated to "ranting about horrible service, corrupt taxi drivers and bizarre occurrences in China." The site invites people to "scream their hearts out about [their] frustrations."

And people are. One major grievance on ChinaRant.com is line cutting, a common occurrence in China. A blogger using the screen name BJ Gemer related dropping his wallet while waiting in line at a fast-food restaurant in Shanghai."When I bent down to pick it up," the post reads, "a woman pushed in line behind me, leaned on my back and ordered an ice cream cone over my head ... and nobody in line said ANYTHING to her!" After he realized what had happened he took the delivered ice cream cone and held it until he had gotten his food, something he "would never have even imagined doing ... when I first came to China," he wrote.

Researcher Liao believes the rapid growth of China's cities, with rural workers migrating to urban areas in search of employment, contributes to the disorder. Beijing's population has grown by 1.5 million people since 2000, government records show. "Part of the problem is that people haven't been taught how to behave properly in cities," said Liao, who is also based at Beijing's Humanistic Olympics Studies Centre. "They don't have experience."

Cindy Klassen (CP)

Speed Skating Canada announces departure of high performance director Emery Holmik.

OTTAWA- Speed Skating Canada (SSC) announced today that its High Performance Director Emery Holmik is leaving the organization to return to his homeland and work at the high performance centre in Canberra, Australia.

Holmik, 47, joined Speed Skating Canada in November 2002 bringing more than 15 years of experience in various high performance management positions in the Australian sport system.  He officially leaves his post with SSC on June 21.

He will relocate to Canberra this summer where he’ll be the manager at the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Academy of Sport. ‘’It’s been a tremendous experience both personally and professionally in Canada,’’ said Holmik, whose two children were born in Canada.  ‘’The whole four years here has been the highlight for me culminating with our great performance in Turin.  We have decided to return to Australia mainly for family reasons.’’

SSC Director General Jean R. Dupré says Holmik has left a lasting legacy. ‘’Emery implemented solid high performance structures that will serve us for years to come,’’ said Dupré.  ‘’He made a lot of friends in the speed skating community and will be missed greatly.  Emery’s legacy enable’s us to continue our Relentless Pursuit of Excellence program into 2010 and beyond.’’

Gregg Planert, the Chairman High Performance Committee-Long Track, said Holmik played a key role in Canada’s international success. ‘’Emery helped raise the bar for the long track program by giving us his expertise from the Australian high performance sport system,’’ Planert said.  ‘’He will be missed by our skaters, coaches and service providers that he’s helped over the last four years.’’

Tom Overend, the Chairman High Performance Committee- Short Track, echoed Planert’s sentiments. ‘’He has done a tremendous job,’’ said Overend.  ‘’He earned respect for his professional approach, knowledge, organizational skills, leadership, creativity and sense of fair play.  The solid high performance infrastructure he created will sustain us well in the years ahead.’’

Speed Skating Canada also announced that Roch Pilon, Manager Marketing/Communications, is also leaving the organization on May 19.  He has taken the Marketing Director position for Biathlon Canada. ‘’Roch has contributed immensely to our communications within Speed Skating Canada and has helped better position our sport with the media,’’ said Dupré.  ‘’He brought a new level of professionalism in our communication activities and contributed to the media preparation and education of our athletes over the years.’’

Openings for both positions have been posted and SSC hopes to fill them this spring.