Canada Sport System Essay

Governments have placed an increasing focus upon sport since the beginning of the 20th century. States have been attempting to develop the most effective sport system by taking differing views on sport policy objectives and values. This paper will use four factors to determine what makes an effective sport system. Sport systems must benefit the entire population, be open to public and private opinion, have policy goals and clear successes on the international stage. This paper shall compare the sport systems in Canada and China and using the criteria above, will argue that the current sport system in Canada is more effective.

The sport system in Canada began to develop in the late 19th century in Montreal. The Montreal Amateur Athlete Association

This increasing government control began in the 1950s with the creation of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and cumulated with the disbandment of the CAAA in the 1970s (Morrow & Wamsley, 2005). Today, Sport Canada is the federal government organization that deals with sport in Canada. Sport Canada largely plays an advisory and funding role (Sport Canada, 2015). It runs three programs with two placing a focus on elite level sport and one on participation and development. The Athlete Assistance Program and Hosting Program are designed to aid elite athletes financially and to support organizations hosting major games. The Sport Support Program is designed to help develop coaches and athletes and increase participation from all Canadians. Sport Canada had a budget of approximately two-hundred million dollars in 2013 (Sport Canada, 2015). Sport Canada relies heavily on partnerships with the private sector, sport organizations and the provincial and territorial governments to meet its goals of participation and excellence (Sport Canada, 2015). Currently “Canadian Sport Policy 2012” is the document that lays out the objectives and values of Canada’s sport system. “A dynamic and innovative culture that promotes and celebrates

Sport in China would begin to develop over the next few decades. (Whitby, 1999) The Cultural Revolution hindered the development of the sport system but in 1976 the system soared with the end of the Cultural Revolution and the economic boom (Whitby, 1999).The organization of the Chinese sport system is top-down with the central government holding all the power (Hong, 2008). Currently, the China General Administration of Sport (CGAS) and the Chinese Olympic Committee are the two bodies responsible for all sport in China (Hong, 2008). The sport system in China is heavily focused on the success of its elite athletes. The very structure of this sport system demonstrates this focus with development and training systems at all levels from city councils to national training centers for Olympic-level athletes (Hong, 2008). The central government in China plays an organizational role with a focus on national team development. Provinces and city councils are tasked with developing and training elite level athletes to compete on the national teams (Hong, 2008). Almost all funding for this development comes from the provinces and city councils with some assistance from the private sector (Hong, 2008). Up until 1995 there was no clear set of documents outlining the goals of the sport policy. In 1995 a restructuring of the Chinese sport system occurred creating a set of regulations to