Russians snag Canadian sporting expertise for Sochi Games

Randy Starkman

thestar.com

Some of the chief architects of the Own the Podium program that helped put Canada over the top at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics have a new boss: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The Russians, in an effort to replicate at the 2014 Sochi Olympics the success Canada had in Vancouver, have hired many of the people who headed the creation of OTP, including Cathy Priestner Allinger, her husband Todd Allinger and Jacques Thibault, who like Priestner is a former Canadian speed skater.

Priestner Allinger, a silver medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics, resigned last week from OTP’s board of directors because her work with the Russians put her in a position of conflict-of interest.

While some might view it as sporting treason to leave the nation of poutine for the land of Putin, Priestner Allinger certainly doesn’t regard it that way.

“People can think that,” she said Saturday in a phone interview from Vancouver. “I always look at these types of things as opportunities. I actually believe there’s an opportunity for Canada in this. Russia has to partner with someone along the way to help them achieve their goal.”

Heads rolled at the Russian Olympic Committee after a dismal sixth-place finish in the overall medal standings in Vancouver.

Putin, a serious sportsman who is active in judo, wants a big turnaround for Sochi. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, who recruited Priestner Allinger, is the minister in charge of the Games, reporting directly to Putin.

“We were over a couple of trips ago and just out for a walk, and the Russian we were with said ‘Putin is reading your report tonight.’ I said ‘What?’” said Priestner Allinger. “It’s definitely within the highest levels of interest with the Russian government.”

Priestner Allinger said they would likely hire more Canadians to work in the Russian program, but without stealing away any personnel.

“We’re not going to poach or anything like that, we have no desire to do that,” she said. “There are individuals for sure who we have talked to in Canada and also in the U.S. who have an interest in getting involved.”

Priestner Allinger described talks in May with Zhukov about the evolution of the OTP program in Canada, which began just over five years before the Vancouver Games. The big question the Russians were pondering was: Could it be done in the four years leading up to the Sochi Olympics?

The undertook a review for the Russians, which they presented in late September and which concluded they had the capabilities to take a big step forward but would have to find a way to cut through all the bureaucracy in their system.

Priestner Allinger said she kept John Furlong, chairman of the Own the Podium board, apprised all along of her dealings with the Russians. But it reached the point where she needed to resign because of the potential conflict of interest.

“It’s going to require a lot of change on their part,” she said. “They definitely have gaps in terms of expertise. They have a lot of new leadership, so there’s a catching up for them as well. But if they switch gears a little bit — change is not something that comes super-easy to that country — but they’re going to need to make some significant change. And if they do, it’s possible.”

Priestner Allinger said the first thing the program needs to ensure is that it’s providing athletes and coaches with the basics. Russia also must put resources into the newer sports, not just the traditional ones.

“Really for Russia, they don’t have the basics, which is a shock to people when they hear that,” she said. “But they have a lot of gaps to fill in making sure the athletes and coaches have all the support and equipment that they need.

“You have to make sure you have a sled to slide on, the most current technology possible — and that’s where Canada played a lot of catching up prior to 2010. It’s funny so much of what we’ve heard going into this is exactly what we heard six years ago here in this country.”

After some skepticism in Russia about the Canadians, things have been moving along well. Only half of the Russian sports federations were expected to show up for consultations during their review, but most relented by the time they left.

“We’re setting really new ground in Russia,” said Priestner Allinger. “They’re not really sure what to do with us.”

Own the Podium’s CEO, Alex Baumann, praised Priestner Allinger on Saturday, saying “Cathy played a critical role in the foundation of Own the Podium.”