Blame it on Rio: Boxing Canada frets about funds
After two decades without an Olympic medal, Boxing Canada is trying to sell an ambitious plan to centralize its operation and improve its high-performance programs.
It remains to be seen if it will get the funding from Own The Podium to support that plan, but this much is certain: The organization’s sales job would be a lot easier if it had been accompanied by a medal from the Rio Olympics.
Boxing Canada sent three boxers to Rio — Ariane Fortin, Mandy Bujold and Arthur Biyarslanov — and felt, with some justification, that Fortin and Biyarslanov were robbed in their fights.
Fortin lost a split decision to Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova in her middleweight (75-kg) bout, and Biyarslanov lost a split decision to Germany’s Artem Harutyunyan in the light welterweight (64-kg) division.
Both Shakimova and Harutyunyan went on to win bronze medals. The German was also a member of AIBA’s pro boxing circuit, a development league sponsored by AIBA.
“AIBA paid a lot for that series,” Canadian coach Daniel Trepanier said in Rio.
Bujold, Canada’s best hope for a medal, was stricken with a stomach virus in Rio and lost her quarter-final bout.
“It’s tough for Boxing Canada,” Trepanier said at the time. “The judges make their decision and that will affect our funding.”
The next question is how that funding be will affected.
For the next Olympic cycle, Boxing Canada wants to centralize its training base in Montreal, revamp its governing structure and hire a high-performance director and a national team coach. Trepanier held down both positions in Rio. The organization will need another $150,000 to implement this plan.
The new plan is the product of a series of recommendations made by consultant Gary Keegan, the Irishman who was brought in to review Boxing Canada before the Rio Olympics. Keegan was instrumental in building Ireland into a boxing power and Own The Podium has expressed its support for the new model.
Boxing Canada received $250,000 from OTP in the quadrennial leading up to the 2012 London Olympics, and $710,000 in the four years before Rio.
The public funding arm also likes Boxing Canada’s medal potential for 2020 in Tokyo. But there’s a price tag associated with the pursuit of those medals and the size of OTP’s commitment has yet to be determined. OTP is expected to release its funding model for Boxing Canada in January.
“Absolutely there’s no question winning medals guarantees you funding.” said Boxing Canada president Pat Fiacco. “That’s a fact.”