Heatstroke: Why Canada's Summer Olympic Program Is Failing -- And How We Can Fix It

Heatstroke exposes the systemic causes of Canada's Summer Olympic failures against the backdrop of the country's increasing Winter Olympic success and the meteoric rise of summer athletes in Australia, a country that used to trail its northern Commonwealth cousin.

Simonson's dogged investigative work reveals the debilitating politics bubbling under the surface of Canada's Olympic movement, as well as throughout the country's amateur sport system, coaching ranks, and the athletes' own associations.

One thing is for certain: The Canadian public deserves better. Simonson shows how athletes can stand up for themselves, how the public can demand excellence, how the Olympic system can reform itself, and how politicians can develop and fund policies that produce winners. According to Simonson, Canada can and will see more of its summer athletes on Olympic podiums in the years to come.

“Simonson holds the feet of Canada's amateur sport officials to the Olympic fire.”
— RANDY STARKMAN, Toronto Star

“Provides unique insight into what we need to do to compete with the world's sporting superpowers.”
— PAT FIACCO, mayor of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Olympic boxing official

“Heatstroke is right: It's time to turn our whining into winning.”
— SHERRAINE SCHALM, three-time Olympian in the sport of fencing

MICHAEL G. SIMONSON, a former carded athlete on Canada's national rowing team, retired in 2003 after winning double silver at the Pan-American Games. Today Michael is Head Coach of the Senior Competitive Program at the Calgary Rowing Club. He also oversees all aspects of competitive rowing in Alberta as the Provincial Technical Director of the Alberta Rowing Association.