HellenicAthletes.com

Exclusive: Former star sprinter Surin upset over state of sport in Canada
By Christopher Galakoutis
Wednesday, July 1 2009 3:01:58 PM

The quiet lion of track & field is staying quiet no more. And he’s got Canadian track & field officials square in his sights.

Upset about Canada’s medal count decline on the world scene the last few years and the recent departures of Canadian coaches for greener pastures, Bruny Surin, in an exclusive interview told HellenicAthletes.com: “I do not know where our sport is going in Canada.

“I don’t believe our officials are looking at the bigger picture and investing in the future of the sport, investing wisely.”

Surin’s comments come as Derek Evely, the coach of the Edmonton sprint group that includes 2005 world championship bronze medallist Tyler Christopher, is leaving Canada after being named director on Tuesday of a new high performance center at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.

“What is Athletics Canada (AC) doing to try to keep those coaches here?” asked Surin, echoing the frustrations of athletes like Christopher, who in January saw his former coach Kevin Tyler also depart for the UK, where he is the head of coaching and development at UK Athletics. The British invasion doesn’t end there, as triathlon coach Joel Filliol was also lured away by the British, as was Peter Eriksson.

Surin believes AC has not done enough to foster a positive culture for the sport in Canada by failing to set up a good support structure, pointing back to his competitive days to make his case.

Surin said: “When I was competing, I had to put together my own support crew in order to be able to compete at the highest level, there was no assistance from AC.

“Which is why I am asking how AC is spending the dollars it receives. It receives money from the ‘Own the Podium’ program, for example, but how is it investing this money?

“What is AC doing for its coaches and athletes, with that money? They want a good sprint program, a good relay program, but where are the results?

“I am very frustrated with what I am seeing in Canadian track.”

Funded primarily by the Government of Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), ‘Own the Podium’ is a sport technical program designed to help Canadian sport federations and their athletes and coaches achieve greater podium success. Its initial goal was to help Canada become the top nation in terms of medal count at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and was later expanded to Canada’s summer athletes, with the goal of having top-12 placing at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Surin said that after his retirement in 2002, he approached AC and offered to help in any way he could, thinking his experiences and know-how, after having reached the top of the podium on several occasions, would be appreciated and pounced on by AC. He never heard back.

“You have people with the knowledge, that have been there, like myself and Donovan Bailey for example, sitting here watching this all happen, and it’s very frustrating not to be contributing in some way or have a say in the direction our sport it taking,” he said.

Since retiring from competition, Surin has had a successful business career, running his own nutritional supplement line that is sold in Quebec’s largest pharmacies and health stores, a clothing line, as well as a sports management firm. So this isn’t about needing a job.

Surin said he would like to have a face-to-face meeting with AC chief Joanne Mortimore, and discuss some of the issues on his mind. Should nothing come of it, he plans to look into establishing some sort of privately funded coaching academy, where athletes can get the support they need.

“I was at a regional track meet recently, and it was a disaster. No organization at all, badly attended. No leadership. It’s all very sad,” he said.

*****

Chris Galakoutis is a business and sports writer, as well as the founder and managing editor of HellenicAthletes.com. He can be reached at Chris@hellenicathletes.com

This article may NOT be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of the author, in accordance with United States and international copyright laws. Selective quotations are permissible as long as the author and this web site are acknowledged through hyperlink to: www.hellenicathletes.com