WHISTLER, British Columbia — Just a year ago, members of the Canadian national luge team wore “For Sale” decals on their helmets to attract corporate sponsors.

The sport is historically underfinanced, and the luger Regan Lauscher recalled that the team borrowed tape from the United States team for sprained ankles and taped themselves with little idea of what they were doing. In recent months, however, the Canadian team has benefited from the country’s Own the Podium campaign, in which taxpayer money is funneled into Olympic sports.

And now a great deal of money can be earned if a Canadian luger wins a medal at the Olympics.

The Fast Track Group, a Canadian company that is a financial education specialist, stepped up as a sponsor, saying it would pay $1 million if a Canadian luger won a gold medal. The money would be split between the athlete and the Canadian Luge Association. The company will also pay $50,000 if an athlete wins a silver or bronze medal and $5,000 to the top Canadian finisher in each of the three luge events.

The motivation is there, but the money may be tough to claim. The Canadians are not favored in any luge event.

“That’s huge for us to be offered that sort of thing, but on the other hand, we’ve still got to go out there and do our jobs,” Lauscher said. “Expectations can be what they are, but in the end, you really don’t have control over what your result is. It’s just about going out there and sliding.”