The ads seeking support for Canada's Olympic swimmers used to feature an athlete whose last thoughts before competition were whether to ask his parents to take a second mortgage.
But at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a swimming gold medal could mean enough money for an athlete to help pay off his parents' debts instead.
An Olympic gold medal will be worth $50,000 from Swimming Canada and swim manufacturing giant Speedo. That's in addition to the $20,000 announced earlier this week by the Canadian Olympic Committee to reward gold medal winners.
"It's absolutely amazing," said Brent Hayden, Canada's world champion free style swim star who must be considered the Canuck most likely to collect under the new schemes.
Hayden, 23, of Mission, B.C., holds the Canadian records at 50, 100 and 200 metres and expects himself to be the first Canadian man to swim in an Olympic 100-metre final since Dick Pound in 1960.
"Being in the final is a feat in itself, but I think I have the confidence to come out of it with a medal," Hayden said in an interview.
"But one thing we want to stress is that it's not the motivator to get gold. Being Olympic champion is motivation in itself. But this would be a great reward for all the work you've done if you come through."
The Swimming Canada bonanza, revealed yesterday in the kickoff for the Bell Grand Prix meet in Toronto this weekend, will pay a swimmer $50,000 for an Olympic gold medal, $10,000 for silver and $5,000 for bronze. Those amounts could increase, said Pierre Lafontaine, the chief executive officer and national coach of Swimming Canada.
"These kids set the tone for dreaming," Lafontaine said. "These guys are the best at their art in the world, and it's just a way of saying, 'Great job, we're proud of you.'
"There's this thought that, 'You know what? It's okay to win in Canada, it's okay to be the best in the world, it's okay to be pushing the limit' - and we're here for you."
Swimming Canada spokesman Martin Richard said parents can spend $20,000 to $30,000 getting their young swimmers up to the national team level, where Swimming Canada's financing takes over much of the financial burden.
"It's not as expensive as hockey because the equipment is a lot cheaper, and from the time a good swimmer is 12 years old, there are programs that can help out parents like the Victor Davis fund (named for the late Canadian gold medalist)," Richard said.
"Speedo gives us $100,000 in swim suits every year and Swimming Canada would pay for flights once a kid is on the national team.
"But for the parents, themselves, it's another matter. They can spend $75,000 in travel costs just to follow their son or daughter on the Olympic trail. With the Games in Beijing, $150,000 to follow their child wouldn't be out of the question (for a couple)."
Hayden and former 100-metre world champ Filippo Magnini of Italy finished tied for first in the 2007 world championships at Melbourne, Australia in a race that saw the top five finishers separated by a mere 10th of a second.
Olympic coach Tom Johnson says the recognition of paying for medals is an important signal that Canadians fit in at the top level. "It's part of the mosaic of international sport. Other countries use it to direct their thinking. In this case, our organization is putting a monetary value on winning. They're saying it matters."
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