$1 million up for grabs in Olympic 50/50 lotto
Money raised in cross-country fundraiser will help Alberta athletes
Olympic glory isn't just for the athletes these days.
Albertans have a chance to win right along with them — to the tune of $1 million in each of three separate draws — thanks to a new 50/50 initiative that spans the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games.
The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary has teamed up with the Canadian Olympic Federation to put cash in the pockets of lucky lotto winners while helping to fund the province's would-be sports heroes.
“A million bucks is a million bucks, which, of course, everybody is focused on,” said Gary Davies, president/ceo of the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary. “But then the second part is you're supporting a bunch of athletes you might be watching at future Olympics.”
It's a first-ever cross-country lottery in support of Olympians and Paralympians, but the money from tickets bought in Alberta stays in the province, with half going to the holder of the winning numbers and the other half — minus administrative costs — going to support high-performance Alberta athletes aged 21-and-under.
In short, tickets bought here go to Alberta's cache of dollars, while other provinces fund their own respective payouts.
“We, by far, have the largest pot in the country, simply because of the (Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis) rules,” Davies said. “We're thrilled to officially roll out this initiative with the Canadian Olympic Foundation to support athletes as well as fellow Albertans.”
The thrill for those who purchase tickets is three guaranteed draws of $1 million.
The first will be held Friday when the Summer Olympiad opens in Japan.
The second will be made during the first week of the Games.
And the third goes to close out the second week of the Tokyo Olympics.
“If we are successful, it could be the biggest investment into provincial amateur sports in Alberta in, frankly, a long, long time,” Davies said. “It's definitely in support of the pathway system of bringing athletes in at a young age and getting them ready for when they become part of the national sports organizations that'll eventually go to the Games. But it will help develop the provincial sports organizations and provide them with dollars that they haven't seen in the past.”
Tickets start at $10 and are available at www.teamcanada5050.ca/ AB.
The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary provides world-class training environments in Alberta and delivers leading sport science and medicine, coach education and life services — including assistance in mental performance, strength and conditioning, paramedical and physiotherapy — to help Canada's high-performance athletes achieve Olympic and Paralympic podium performances.
“The COF asked us to join, in particular, because they needed an Alberta-based non-profit to work with to get the licence, and they felt that we were the best suited to do that based on where the monies are going to go. Not only did we get the licence, but we will eventually form a granting committee to determine where and how the dollars will be distributed.”
The Canadian Sport Institute
Calgary will have two years to disperse the funds to high-performance athletes.
“This originated out of the success of the 50/50s of the world juniors at Christmas,” Davies added. “The COC and the COF saw the big success out of that, and it started the wheels turning around this. Is this a way we can rally the nation around the Olympics and at the same time raise money for provincial sport in an area that tends to be underfunded?
“And if it is successful, they will probably be doing the same thing during the 2022 Beijing Summer Olympics.”