Canadians Want Lotteries to Fund Olympic Teams
A recent Ipsos survey of 1,005 Canadians showed that the majority were overwhelmingly in favor of the government using the Canadian lottery fund to help Olympic hopefuls.
Eight in ten of the Canadian adults surveyed said that the governments had a responsibility to fund Canada's Olympians through official lottery corporations such as Loto Quebec, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.
Lottery funds should be spent to help Canadian athletes train and compete, said the Canadians. Interestingly, support for more funds to Team Canada was slightly lower among the 18-34 year olds.
Content with London Games Performance
One in three believed that Team Canada's performance in the London Games fell short of expectations, although six out 10 felt that they lived up to billing.
Overall, however, the general consensus was that the majority were content with the team's performance in London and seven in ten said that they were satisfied with Canada's medal count.
"Canadians are very typically Canadian: We're mildly optimistic so we're not terribly disappointed," said the senior vice president of Ipsos Reid, John Wright. "I think we've kept our expectations in check."
Canada Fell Short of Medal Goal
Yet despite the support of the general public, facts are facts and Canada fell very short of its aim to finish 12th in the medal standing, coming in 36th place only. The 18 medals won - one gold, five silver and twelve bronze - was the same number won by the team in Beijing in 2008 and four less than what was won in Atlanta in 1994.
The referee's call against the women's soccer squad in the late stages of the game was a contentious issue among Canadians and six out of ten said that referees' decisions went unfairly against Team Canada.
Half those surveyed in the 18 - 35 age group believe that Canadians perform better in the Winter Olympics for obvious reasons. However, other age groups did not believe that Canadians should perform any less successfully in the Summer Games.
All in all, however, Canadians seem to be very proud of their national team, with nine out of ten giving their thumbs up to the team.
Nine out of ten also believed that London did a great job hosting the Olympics this time around.
