It seems the French, German and Australian cycling teams are questioning GB's miraculous 12 month turn around from 0 Golds and 3 Medals in the worlds to 6 Golds and 12 Medals in the Olympics. Anything suspicious or just sour grapes?
True. My initial response when we started off so well however was to wonder if we have timed our peak perfectly.
He is often derided but thanks should go to John Major. He was the one who brought in backing from Lottery funding, ££350 million the last 3 years, which has enabled people to do the constant training necessary to reach these levels.
Yes, we probably have. But our athletes have expressed incredulity at some record breaking performances so we can't moan if others do the same with our performances.
Precisely my opinion, had this happened with China or Russia the press would be all over them accusing them of taking just about everything possible.
Just to add further to the earlier discussion, in case anyone is wondering I would definitely dry bum Laura Trott.
Ireland's IOC member Pat Hickey has been arrested in Rio, on suspicion of selling a large amount of tickets on the black market.
It's sour grapes, but let them do it. It doesn't change anything. If competitors are suspecting doping, they are going to be disappointed, because Team GB are using something far more brutal and effective than that. Money. And lots of it. This is the result. To suspect doping is to misunderstand the entire thing, which is the systematic obliteration of the competition through millions, hundreds of millions of pounds in the past 22 years spent simply in an effort to win gold, yielded in sports where money equals success. Anyone remember when the French team complained at 2012 because our teams' wheels were rounder, which is insane from the start, but then found out our wheels were made by a French company?
All I know is that I'm knackered from watching it, I keep saying i'm off to bed then summat else comes on. It really is compelling viewing, last night was awesome in the velodrome, with the dodgy starts in the Keirin, I thought Jason Kenny was gunna be disqualified at one point. Then the German was even luckier in the next false start. It is just brilliant that each and every member of the cycling team have all won a medal. Proud to be British for sure.
Sort of my thoughts, we have in effect bought medals due to the better swimming and cycling facilities for the elite sportspeople. I personally would rather see that money spent for the masses, in schools and local communities but hey ho that's how it is today.
Not sure you properly know how the lottery funding works. There are loads of indoor and outdoor velodromes across the country that people can go to. Same with pools. ****ing hell, Withernsea has an Olympic length swimming pool for ****s' sake. Withernsea! The knock on effect of so many kids seeing these people become their role models and get them into the sport cannot be measured or understated in any way either. Sport is only 'elite' if you don't work at it. Quite obvious. If you look at a lot of our greatest athletes, you'll see they mostly come from normal upbringings, not 'elite' ones.
In some respects you are right but where do these elite sports people come from? Many are from just normal backgrounds and not privileged ones. Plus the feel good factor for the whole country must have great knock on effects. Such as kids wanting to get into some of these events.
I thought at first that was an old fashioned Irish joke you were making there. I mean where is the black market value when there are acres of empty seats for so many of the events?
Then you would be on here moaning that we weren't doing well For years the competitors from communist nations were paid for state jobs where they actually didn't do anything but spent their whole time practicing. In theUSA they got sports scholarships. Both lots were taking various dodgy substances, especially the East Germans. Our athletes used to have to work and practice at ungodly hours to get access to swimming pools or skating rinks. Then they were sneered at for being down the medals tables, with some people saying their system must be better than ours.Now ours have similar conditions we have people saying it is unfair giving money to elite athletes. How far do you think £350 million would go over 4 years in schools and communities? What would it be spent on? Pokemon hunts? Playing on computers? If there wasn't lottery funding all events, instead of a few, would be the preserve of the well off and public school pupils.
Just to say to those above when I said elite sportspeople I meant those who are the best in their field not their social background.
The money is not spent on the 'elite sportspeople', it is spent on facilities which are usually open to the general public. Most of these athletes train in places like the Manchester Velodrome or in local athletic tracks or pools - which anyone can use.
