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Skeleton racers blast Canada's lack of Olympic funding: 'We saw $0'
Despite a bountiful Beijing Olympics for Canada with 25 total medals going into the final day of competition, it seems that some Canadian skeleton racers have not been getting the backing they feel they deserve.
Canadian slider Mirela Rahneva took to Twitter on Thursday to express frustrations over the lack of financial support she and others in the sport have apparently dealt with recently.
"We saw $0 in support this important year," she posted on Twitter.
There is a big discrepancy somewhere then… @AnneMerklinger @harrisoncbc @CBCOlympics The National Skeleton Team was not only sent to compete with No Coach this season, but also paid out of pocket for every flight, hotel and car rental. We saw $0 in support this important year. pic.twitter.com/e3RaumyMll
— Mirela Rahneva OLY (@MirelaRahneva) February 17, 2022
"A lot of the athletes have been really struggling, not only financially but mentally with the difficulties of competing," Rahneva told The Canadian Press’ Lori Ewing.
The 33-year-old also shared a spreadsheet of her expenses for the season, which totalled over $26,000. According to Ewing, Rehneva receives $14,000 a year from the Canadian government as part of the Athlete Assistance Program.
$26 585.00
This is how much a Skeleton Season costs in an Olympic Year.
I am currently carded for 8 months which is $14 120.
How are Canadians Athletes suppose to make this work? #sport #canada #Olympics pic.twitter.com/kKsrumMBKr— Mirela Rahneva OLY (@MirelaRahneva) January 22, 2022
Rahneva just missed out on the podium in Beijing, finishing in fifth-place — a career Olympic best.
The Canadian skeleton team travelled to the Beijing test event in October without a coach, Ewing reports. Elisabeth Vathje, the top Canadian participant at the event, also took to Twitter to criticise the lack of support for her team.
"Some of the damage from that trip in October w/o coaches, we're lucky to only come away with bruises," the 27-year-old wrote, accompanied by a photo of her with a large bruise on her right arm.
Some of the damage from that trip in October w/o coaches, we’re lucky to only come away with bruises. pic.twitter.com/2h3jCqGc61
— Elisabeth Vathje (@skellyelisabeth) February 17, 2022
Vathje explained the significant disadvantage she was at without a coach there to guide her.
"As athletes, we were looking at the track being like, oh, I wonder if we could try this line or that line or things like this. So, we worked very well together as a team, as athletes," she told Ewing. "But we got no feedback between runs.”
The debate around funding and support for Canadian skeleton racers comes after a report by the CBC’s Doug Harrison said that the Canadian national skeleton program “received the largest proportional funding boost of any sport organisation this quadrennial, more than doubling its funding since 2018 to $953,000.”
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