Editor:
I feel obligated on behalf of Canada’s wonderful young Olympic participants to speak up.
It has been an embarrassing last 10 days or so. Our national broadcasting company has totally missed the mark.
The real story of the Olympics is in fact that these wonderful young people that have represented our country on the world stage deserve much better than our fat-cat politicians have done for them.
The participants’ parents and friends have spent countless amounts of money and volunteer hours to help these great young people achieve a place on the world stage. Yet, our fat-cat politicians in Ottawa will undoubtedly be front and centre for photo-ops as the participants return home.
In case you have not heard, Canada is one of the worst countries in the world to assist our participants with funds so that they can pursue their quest for excellence. Yet, the most shameful fact in all of this is that our publicly funded broadcast system have never once chastised our government publicly for this.
Oh, that’s right, their hands are tied in fear that their funding might be jeopardized should they bad mouth any of those fat cats so busy figuring out how they can arrange selfies with the wonderful participants who so valiantly returned with medals to share with their parent and friends, who so generously gave of their time and monies to help them reach the pinnacles of success.
Congratulations to all participants, parents and friends; you are all winners. And truckloads of rotten tomatoes to our political fat cats, CBC and CRTC.
As an aside, my nephew proudly wore the Canadian Olympic Committee-issued uniform blazoned with Canada’s emblem in the Beijing junior Olympics that his parents had to cough up $750 for, and he did manage to represent our country in London in 2012.
Yes, the whole family contributed to get him there, so I know all about the trials, tribulations and barricades our system presents our young people with as they chase a goal, no matter how tough our country makes the path.
Tom Nielsen, Surrey
