COC, private partners help boost athletes’ funding [INFOGRAPHIC]

Next time you dunk your Oreo cookie into a glass of milk, pause for a second and take it all in. Not the delicious cocoa crumbs falling off your treat or the moisture ring forming around the cold glass on the counter.

Instead, think of speed skater Denny Morrison surging on a long track at 70 km/h or Kelsey Serwa flying 150 feet in the air to grab a world championship.

There is a connection between delectable desserts and Canada’s Olympic hopes and it became apparent on Thursday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, when Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut announced a $37 million injection into Own The Podium, which aims for Canada to be a world leader in high-performance sport.

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“At the COC, we know it takes a village to raise a champion, and we’re so appreciative of the outstanding support we receive from our private-sector partners,” Aubut said on Thursday.

These partners include Hudson’s Bay Company, RBC, Bell, Canadian Tire, adidas, BMW, Mondelez (maker of the Oreo) and many more who have put their faith in Canadian athletes to raise the country’s profile and instill national pride.

The $37 million contribution between 2013-16 is a 48% increase from the previous four years. During the last quadrennial Canada set a Olympic Winter Games record with 14 gold medals at Vancouver 2010 and won a total of 18 medals at London 2012, including the women’s national soccer team bringing home a bronze medal following an emotional semifinal encounter with their American rivals that united Canada.

With an increase in private-sector partnership and the additional financial contribution ahead of Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016, Canadian Olympic Committee is empowering its athletes to challenge the world with more funding, resources and a renewed sense of national purpose.