I want to go back to broadcast rights, but not necessarily to focus only on the Canadian broadcasters.
The IOC is the one that sells the broadcast rights. It's my understanding that it has become so expensive that the private carriers in Canada aren't all that excited about carrying the Olympics because they lose lots of money on them.
The IOC talks a really good game about how important sport is, the youth, etc., and the president goes there and gives a great little speech at the beginning of the games, all of that.
Doesn't the IOC have somewhat of a responsibility to live up to the standard to which it holds the athletes, to make the broadcast rights affordable so that when the broadcasters are competing for them it makes sense, so they can actually afford to broadcast the games?
On the one hand, it's so important. If you're not broadcasting, you're not developing. People aren't seeing you. I shouldn't have to watch the Olympics to see the gentleman from South Africa because he ran in the Olympics. Now everybody knows who he is, and they make such a big deal. It's great. The broadcasters showed that over and over again. Yes, great, but that happens every single day at the Paralympics.
I don't know if you can answer, but I find it passing ridiculous that the IOC isn't helping to develop the Paralympics as well. I don't know if you can comment on this without getting yourself into trouble, but people are going to stop broadcasting the games because they can't afford to buy the rights to the games.
How do we shame the IOC? That's what it comes down to, shaming the IOC into making the games affordable so that broadcasters can afford to broadcast them and not worry about taking a massive hit to their bottom line. That includes the CBC. The taxpayers want value from the CBC as well.
What can we do to shame the IOC? I guess it's more us than you.