Hockey could steal Olympic spotlight: Greene Raine
Former Olympian concerned pros will overshadow amateurs at Winter Games
Last Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 | 3:17 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Senator Nancy Greene Raine says the attention given to hockey at the Olympics may take away from other athletes in Vancouver. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)The accomplishments of some Canadian athletes at the 2010 Winter Games may be overshadowed because of the attention on the men's hockey team, a multiple Olympic medallist said Friday.
Senator Nancy Greene Raine, who won gold and silver medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics, said hockey is such a huge part of the Canadian culture it sometimes pushes other sports out of the picture.
"I always felt it was good to be a female athlete because you were never compared against the hockey superstars," Greene Raine told a breakfast meeting sponsored by the Vancouver board of trade.
"There is no doubt in my mind a lot of great Canadian male amateur athletes, Olympic athletes, what they've done has not been properly recognized because they are not hockey players. That is something you have to live with as a Canadian.
"Other countries have other sports. Hockey is important to Canada. I recognize that."
Greene Raine is confident Canada can reach its goal of winning more medals at the Vancouver Olympics than any other country. But she wouldn't speculate on the exact number of medals Canadian athletes will claim.
"Every one is going to be precious," she said. "I'm not a numbers persons.
"The athletes themselves expect it. Nobody is putting pressure on them more than they are on themselves."
Greene Raine has also been named Canada's Olympic ambassador for the Vancouver Games. Her job will be to contribute to ensuring federal presence at the Winter Olympics, which begin Feb. 12.
