26-02-2018, 12:28
My concern is that this funding really is £30 million aimed at medals in sports for which, until the beast from the east hits this week, we lack natural ampitheatres. There are a couple of places to ski in Scotland or you're off to the snow dome in Tamworth, we've the odd ice rink, but we can only compete in short-track speed skating, because we do not have any facility to participate long course.
If we wanted to properly compete in Winter Olympics we'd have to invest much more, and not only in athletes in events in which world rankings suggest they are competitive.
There are Olympic sports in this country in which participation is much wider and in which wise investment might see rapid growth and improvement whose funding is either non-existent or severely restricted. Basketball is a mass participation sport but we've no history of being in medal contention, so it gets cut. Handball and volleyball are brilliant, exciting games both to play and watch - they get sweet FA ........
On the surface our funding policy, rewarding success, appears to bring home the medals. I'm not so sure long-term. For every encouragement there appears to be a discouragement and for every carrot one sport is offered, another is getting stick. My opinion is the current policy is DOUGH FOR SHOW!
If we wanted to properly compete in Winter Olympics we'd have to invest much more, and not only in athletes in events in which world rankings suggest they are competitive.
There are Olympic sports in this country in which participation is much wider and in which wise investment might see rapid growth and improvement whose funding is either non-existent or severely restricted. Basketball is a mass participation sport but we've no history of being in medal contention, so it gets cut. Handball and volleyball are brilliant, exciting games both to play and watch - they get sweet FA ........
On the surface our funding policy, rewarding success, appears to bring home the medals. I'm not so sure long-term. For every encouragement there appears to be a discouragement and for every carrot one sport is offered, another is getting stick. My opinion is the current policy is DOUGH FOR SHOW!