Canadians enjoy Gold Coast Games even if medal haul didn’t meet expectations
GOLD COAST, Australia — While Canada fell well short of its goal of 100-plus medals at the Commonwealth Games, team officials say the true test of the Gold Coast Games will come two years from now at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lessons learned here should pay off in 2020, said Canadian chef de mission Claire Carver-Dias.
“It’s intelligence,” said Carver-Dias, a former synchronized swimmer who won medals at the Olympic, Commonwealth and Pan American Games. “You’re gathering data.
“And people underestimate the Commonwealth Games,” she continued. “We’re chronically underfunded. But it is listed as a milestone in the performance pathway and athletes keep saying these games are important. It’s a checkpoint … Olympians are going to benefit from being here.”