Sponsoring athletes, creating heroes

In the world of sport, the reality today is that athletes need financial support for equipment, coaching and the latest sport technology. But many athletes cannot afford to support themselves and train at the same time. Luckily, many corporations are there to fill the gap, generously providing funds through sponsorship and athlete-support programs. But the relationship between athletes and corporation extends well beyond dollars and cents. And athletes often become inspirational heroes to those at the corporations that sponsor them.

The benefits of sponsorship
Clara Hughes and Denny Morrison are two Canadian heroes, both on and off the ice. Hughes, an Olympic champion in speed skating, won gold and silver medals at the Torino 2006 Winter Games. Morrison won a silver medal in Team Pursuit at Torino, and was named Canada’s long track male speed skater of the year in 2006.

Despite their on-ice success, both Hughes and Morrison attribute their success to more than athletic ability. For Morrison, the surest route to the podium is by having the right equipment, good coaching and enough money and time for training. Hughes agrees. “Sport is expensive. It takes years of a person’s life to fulfill potential as an athlete. This all costs money and time,” she says.

Without sponsorship, both argue, many talented but under-funded athletes fall prey to financial constraints since they cannot train, work and attend school at the same time. The result is that many talented athletes leave sport because of financial woes, which hurts Canada’s overall athletic performance on the world stage.

The answer, says Morrison, is further funding for athletes.


The dollar and cents solution
Corporations are more than eager to help create Canadian champions. “Our funding program helps alleviate some of the pressure, so athletes can focus their energies on training and competition,” says RONA representative, Mark Hindman. RONA recently provided over 100 athletes with bursaries through its Growing With Our Athletes program.

Corporations such as RONA provide funding through programs designed to fund the development of elite athletes. Petro-Canada has provided over $6 million in scholarships since 1988, and recently created a new program called Fuelling the Dream, which is helping athletes so that they can achieve podium success in 2010, and beyond.

Hbc (Hudson’s Bay Company) also takes a long-term approach to supporting Canadian athletes through its bursary program, giving 200 athletes $5,000 each, in addition to its many long-term funding projects. Hbc representative Diane Gordon acknowledges the struggle that athletes face. “There’s a lot of excitement in an Olympic Games year, but we can’t just think of our athletes and provide them with support during that year alone. It’s the years leading up to the Games where the funding is needed.”

Heroes in the making
For Bell Canada, sponsored athletes serve as role models for staff. “Our real focus is to connect Bell athletes with our employees. [Athletes], such as Clara Hughes, share their stories of passion and commitment to performance,” says Bell’s David Rivers.

For Hughes and Morrison, financial support means they can chase medals and represent Canada on the world stage, knowing they have the necessary financial support. Both hope that funding for Canadian athletes will increase as the 2010 Winter Games draw nearer. In the meantime, they’re happy to be training. “I see it as the best job in the world” Hughes says.