Own The Podium promoted from within Thursday, naming Anne Merklinger as its new chief executive officer. Merklinger was OTPs director of summer sport under former CEO Alex Baumann, who stepped down Oct. 1 to take a similar position in the New Zealand sport system. Own The Podium divides about $70 million annually in federal government funding between summer and winter sport, so Merklinger now holds one of the most powerful positions in Canadian sport. Her job is to continue Canadas success in international sport following the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C. "Weve realized how important it is to Canada for our athletes to do well," Merklinger told The Canadian Press on Thursday. "We saw with the success in Vancouver, the impact it had on our country. Theres such an awareness and so much momentum to carry forward. "Weve seen the impact that athletes winning medals has on building communities and developing national unity and pride." OTP oversees many aspects of an elite athletes life in between Olympic Games and works in concert with the Canadian Olympic Committee. The COC prepares athletes for the Games environment and looks after their needs on the ground at Games. The selection of Merklinger provides continuity in the organization, particularly in summer sport with the Summer Games just six months from now in London. The 53-year-old from Ottawa is a former national team swimmer and a curler who competed in four national championships. She was an athlete in the Canadian sport system up until 2006 when she retired from curling. Merklinger served as director general of CanoeKayak Canada for several years before joining OTP in 2009. She doesnt feel as a woman thats shes broken through a glass ceiling to get OTPs top job. "I dont ever think of my gender throughout my sport career and compare," Merklinger said. "Im aware of the different approaches I might use and how they may differ from a male perspective, but in terms of a leadership approach, the gender lens doesnt really enter into any of my thinking. "The network of people who have mentored me along the way are highly accomplished men and women and I use that network to shape my own approach and my own thinking." The CEO of OTP must be politically astute as the job requires lobbying the federal government for funding. "I actually relish that part of it," Merklinger said. "I know for us to achieve our objectives as a nation in terms of being a world-leading high-performance country, we need all those partners fully engaged with us working together. "Without those relationships getting stronger, we wont be able to affect the improvement we need as quickly." Merklinger is now the ultimate decision-maker on which sport federations get more money than others. Money is distributed based on a sports medal potential at Olympic Games. "If you were to ask around within the summer sport community they would know that I didnt shy away from making the difficult decisions," she said. When Baumann resigned, executive search company Odgers Berndtson donated its services free of charge and launched a global search for a suitable replacement. OTP board chairman John Furlong, formerly the head of the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee (VANOC), said about 100 candidates from Australia, the United States, Europe, Britain, Asia and Canada applied for the job. Merklinger was among three to make a short list. "The best person to lead us was already on our team.," Furlong said during a conference call. "Anne is a very uniquely qualified individual. Her career has soared on both the summer and winter side." "She has an experience as an athlete in summer and winter and has worked on both sides. She has the kind of savvy you need and shes tough. This is a very tough process to prepare athletes. Youre under a lot of pressure and you have to make very difficult decisions and some of them are often not that well received." Merklinger, winter sport director Ken Read and operations director Joanne Mortimore jointly ran OTP after Baumanns departure. Read, a former national team skier, told The Canadian Press late last year he was not interested in pursuing the job of CEO. Merklinger was put through four separate interviews before earning board approval. The final one was Monday when members of the OTP board took turns firing questions at her. "I said in our staff meeting theres still blood on my pillow," Merklinger said with a laugh. "Its been a real whirlwind couple of days." OTP must hire a director of summer sport following her promotion. OTP was established five years out from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. It was a $117-million plan designed to help Canadian athletes win more medals than any other country at their own Games. Canada finished third in the overall medal count but won the most gold at 14, which was a record for a single Winter Games. Canada also won 19 medals, including 10 gold, in the Paralympic Games. Not so strong in summer sport, Canadas goal for London is more modest. It is to finish among the top-12 countries in overall medals and among the top eight in the gold medals at the Paralympics. "This is a very key year for us obviously because we have been pouring it on to get the summer program to the place where we all feel the winter program now is," Furlong said. Merklinger is the third person and the third former athlete named to the job after Baumann and Roger Jackson. Jackson, an Olympic champion in rowing, stepped down following the 2010 Games. Baumann, an Olympic gold medallist in swimming, was also overseeing summer sport within the organization when he was promoted to CEO that year. Merklinger curled in four Scotties Tournaments of Hearts and skipped Ontario to the final in 1998 and 2000. She swam on the Canadian team from 1977 to 1981 and won a silver medal in breaststroke at the 1979 World University Games. Merklinger lives in Ottawa with her husband Don and has two children -- Megan, 22 and Connor, 18. Shes been a sports administrator for over 20 years. In addition to running the canoe and kayak association, Merklinger has worked with Special Olympics Canada and the Commission for Inclusion of Athletes with a Disability, as well as serving as president of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation from 2001 to 2004. Wholesale NFL Jerseys.C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Cheap Jerseys From China. That was two games too many for LeBron James. 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