Canadian long track speedskater Laurent Dubreuil is sounding the alarm about the lack of funding for Canadian amateur sports and the consequences it could have on the country's success at the Winter Olympics going forward.
The Quebec native did not hide his bitterness on Tuesday, coming off a bronze medal in the 500 metres during the Milan Cortina Games.
In an interview published Tuesday in the Journal de Québec and the Journal de Montréal, Dubreuil denounced the much bleaker reality, just two days after the Olympics.
"Things have to change. As long as athletes get good results, it kind of masks the problems," Dubreuil said later in a video conference from Heerenveen, Netherlands, where he'll take part in the world long track speedskating championships from March 5 to 8.
He noted the issue of funding was a small problem in the short-term, but it could become a big one in the long term. While the Milan Cortina Games wasn't a disaster, he said it wasn't their best either.
"I can't speak for other athletes in other sports, because our federation is one of the best funded, but even though I've been on the national team for 16 years, I've noticed that with each Olympic cycle, there are fewer funds available than in the previous cycle, and it's not because of our results; we won five medals in Italy, the same number as in Beijing (in 2022)," Dubreuil said.
"We have to realize that we're heading straight for disaster if this doesn't change, and that it's not that easy to find solutions," said the speedskater from Lévis, Que., just south of Quebec City.
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Rather than returning home to see his loved ones and savour his Olympic triumph, Dubreuil chose to go directly to Heerenveen, a decision that allowed him to save on the cost of plane tickets. He's also moved in with a host family to save on costs. Dubreuil described his lifestyle when he is competing as "frugal."
Dubreuil, 33, is also concerned about the next generation in his sport, especially since they do not currently seem to be able to compete with the world's elite. Fellow Olympic medallists Valérie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin are both 35 years old and could soon be considering retirement as well.
"Every athlete at the Olympic Games has a first memory of watching an idol on television at the Games who inspired them by winning medals," explained Dubreuil, who won silver in the 1,000 metres at the 2022 Beijing Games.
"For me, it was Marc Gagnon and Jonathan Guilmette (at the Salt Lake City Games) in 2002. Two Quebecers on the podium, it was incredible. It marked a generation of skaters," Dubreuil said.
"But the goal for me is not to win medals, but simply to inspire young people. If you have good athletes in lots of sports, that's how you inspire young people to get off the TV and other apps like Instagram."
To remedy the funding shortfall, Dubreuil used the example of Norway, which topped the medal standings at the 2026 Olympics with 41 medals (18-12-11), despite being a country with barely more than half the population of Quebec.
"They have set up a state lottery where part of the proceeds of which are redistributed to sport," Dubreuil said.
"It could be that, or it could be something else, but it takes concrete action (to increase funding for athletes), then we'll see the effects on the results," he said.
In the meantime, Dubreuil, the 2021 500-metre world champion, continues his preparation for the world championships.
Dubreuil will attempt to cause another splash in one of his favourite distances, the 500-metre or 1,000-metre sprint.
He acknowledged that American Jordan Stolz and Dutchman Jenning de Boo will once again be the favourites in these distances, but he believes he can compete with the other skaters for the third spot on the podium.
"I expect most of the world's best skaters to be there in the men's sprint. (...) It will be very competitive, with Stolz, de Boo, Poland's Damian Zurek, the three favourites, and even China's Ning Zhongyan … They are all medal contenders, and I will have to beat some of them if I want to climb onto the podium," he said.
Although he is not as well supported financially by the federal government as he would like, Dubreuil said he can count on unwavering support during the upcoming worlds from his family.
They will join him at his host family's home — who have become "real friends," he said, noting that "tickets (for the world championships) are a lot cheaper than those for the Games in Milan."
