Winter Olympics
"A hundred and twenty-six different ways to slide on snow"
Obviously Britain is never going to be a huge medal contender, but good luck to those who have dedicated their lives and energies in trying to do so.
Makes for some thrilling TV
How many medals can we win?
Comments
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I think the snow boarding event yesterday should have been cancelled, how those girls didn't seriously injure themselves I don't know.
What also fascinated me was how well the Australians were doing in some events, I don't associate Australia with snow!!!
David
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Plenty of snow in Australia!
https://www.onthesnow.co.uk/news/a/585247/the-8-best-ski-resorts-in-australia---new-zealand
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I wonder if U.K. tax payers believe the £32 million given by the government and the lottery is truly value for money. A recent study concluded that it is schools, parents and clubs that encourage children to take sport. Olympic medal winners are thought to encourage less than 7% of youngsters in sport. Source: guardian newspaper
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A lot of the money goes into searching for elite athletes capable of stepping up from what schools and parents can provide. And let's face it, some parents aren't always around to encourage, and most schools have very limited PE resources. OK if you are a pupil at Millfield School, their resources are outstanding, but your inner city comprehensive probably doesn't even have a patch of scrubby grass. Someone in the past decided it would be a good idea to sell off school playing fields! After a working life time providing sports children and youngsters, the sense of achievement, better health and overall feel good factor is worth all the money spent on sport. The Australian culture recognised this way prior to the British.
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We have yet to see how successful the Winter Olympics will be for the UK but the talk of 10 medals seems a bit on the optimistic side but lets face it sport is all about optimism.
Certainly investment in the Summer Games has been very successful and clearly the only way you can become a world leader. The UK funding comes in a roundabout way but we are only doing what other countries are doing. So if you want a level playing field (groan) you have to invest. At least the Olympics are an investment in national pride which is a commodity which seems to be in short supply at the moment!
David
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A return of 10 medals @ £3.2 million each? I'd get my skates on for that sort of money!
Sadly, as the Premier League has shown (and there's a conversation for anthor time) a huge amount of money is now required to compete at the top level.
Even with all this money, our male luge competitor cannot compete for a medal because he doesn't have the technology available to him, even though he has the talent. It seems we're not investing enough in our young talent and the equipment?
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Ten medals seems very optimistic to me as well. I watched the men's luge event early this week, and it was stated on there that GB athletes lack the funding of a lot of the other athletes, still a minority sport. Football is the only sport that irritates me. Apparently, some PL teams spent more on their defence players in the transfer windows, then some Governments did on National Defence! Now that is obscene money. Not enough gets down to levels below PL and beyond.
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That seems about par for the course, Brue !
I remember Eddie The Eagle and his ski jumping. The only one guaranteed his position -- Last I grant you, BUT all he got from the Olympic organisations was abuse and then kicked out !! Nobody tried to help him with coaching, training etc they just used him for cheap laughs until they could 'disappear' him ! If you are the best at a particular sport that a country produces then why should you not have a go ?? Remember 'Ernie the Eel' from Africa ?? he was the swimmer who had only swum in public swimming pools, and the West Indian Bob Sleigh Team ?? Oh sorry, but don't be silly of course you can't come & play with us !!
Even at my lowly level as a sportsman it was accepted that if you didn't have teams or individuals willing to lose consistantly then you didn't have a competition at all.
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Following on from earlier comments re funding, and everyone having valid points, it seems that record funding in the skeleton has indeed reaped just rewards.
We will never know if it was the money which made the difference, but for me, it has and I feel so proud of our British medalists, not forgetting the dedication and efforts from all our team.
Lets have some more please!
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It does seem to me that we start off with a major disadvantage as far as the Winter Games are concerned as we are not an Alpine country and our snow hardly lasts long enough to get your skies on!!! Therefore the people that take part on our behalf have do have an additional dose of enthusiasm and motivation just the get started. The Olympics might not spur us all into taking up sport but there will be sufficient that do and a good result might just encourage those champions of the future.
David
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But we must not forget that it was those mad, Victorian Englishmen & their silly habits who started the Down-hill Skiing For Fun movement. " coming over here and using our working kit for such silliness Ja Boo Sucks, at least they bought our sheepskin underwear "
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Ironic really that it was Adam Pengelly, a former Skeleton competitor, who introduced Parsons to the sport and then only by accident. He wasn't identified or even knew about the sport until at Uni. and only took it up for a laugh. He's hardly had any funds in the last 6/7 years so not your typical professional athlete. So his medal is more in keeping with the original ethos.
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AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
The 'supposed' clean Russians are still having problems with drugs (Why would you for curling??!!) and an American skier is having problems controlling her manners.
The IOC took swift action in expelling the latter, but, if the results from the Russian prove positive, surely it will leave them with egg on their faces, yet again?
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Seeing the manic & frenzied way they all use those brooms, I'd be surprised if they all weren't on something.
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== fingers crossed.
