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Canadians patriotism at odds with Summer Olympics interest

Andrew Bucholtz

At first glance, the bevy of recent pieces about how Canadians see the Summer Olympics appear wildly inconsistent. A June Ipsos-Reid poll suggested Canadian patriotism is on the rise, but political scientist Katherine Winstanley says that's less evident in the Summer Games than the Winter Olympics, while others are already complaining about a lack of overt patriotism in the Canadian streets and saying there's no buzz around these Olympics.

But an Association for Canadian Studies poll reports that 47 per cent of Canadians prefer to watch the Summer Games (with 37 per cent preferring to watch the Winter Olympics and the remaining 16 per cent not indicating a clear preference).

However, all of that could be right: Canadian patriotism may be rising in general, but maybe it's a more subtle nationalism that's typically on display at the Summer Games, and perhaps that even correlates with why many prefer them.

The Ipsos-Reid poll on Canadian patriotism was generally about symbols of the country, and particularly the maple leaf, which appears to be rising in popularity. That doesn't necessarily translate into flag-waving street parties during every Olympic event, though, and that's why Paul Sullivan's comments about seeing "lacklustre Olympic spirit" in London seem a little odd (especially considering that the opening ceremonies aren't even until Friday, and that there's obviously a more prominent public reaction to hosting an Olympics than participating in one overseas). This is where Winstanley's research comes in. Here's the key part of what she had to say about the reactions of Canadians to the Summer Games:

Winstanley says that Canadians typically don't express as much patriotism at the summer games as they do for the winter games.

"The summer Olympics are much more focused on the individual athlete," said Winstanley. "The successes of individual athletes, like Donovan Bailey in '96, become the sort of stories that celebrate Canadian immigrants or multiculturalism."

Winstanley said the same kind of political narratives are often told in reverse about failures.

She says the Own the Podium initiative promotes a more concerted effort for athletes to feel more like they are representing the country and there is a specific kind of nationalism that is sold through the Olympics.

Winstanley has a point there; Canadian reactions to the Summer Olympics do seem to be more about the individual athletes involved, and while there's some of that in the Winter Games as well, it can quickly get swept away in a frenzy over what the men's hockey team's latest performance means for Canada as a whole and if Canada will win the most medals.

There's no particular summer Olympic sport that results in such an outpouring of nationalism as hockey does, and Canada's clearly not going to come out on top of the Summer Games medal standings, so perhaps that frees up people to focus more on the individual athletes rather than just flag-waving, and that might be part of what apparently makes more Canadians want to watch the Summer Games.

It's worth noting that those results were sharply divided by region and age, though, with Quebecers and older people preferring the Summer Olympics by a great margin, and Alberta and B.C. residents and young people slightly preferring the Winter Games. There's a complicated picture here, but it seems to add up; there's a good deal of patriotism in Canada, and while there may not be flag-wavers clad in official Olympic apparel on every Canadian street corner, there are plenty of people who will be watching Canada's athletes in London.

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