The Commonwealth Games (Gay Kiss Games) has finished and it
is was a great success; there is something more personal to these Games then
any other.
On Radio 4 there was a piece about how well some of the
sports done especially Swimming they interviewed an Official from the Swimming
Association who complained Government had cut their grant saying it was
perverse, the reporter pointed out that the reason the grant was cut was
because they GB Swimming did not perform well in the Olympic and grants were given
on results he continued to say it was PERVERSE.
WHAT is Perverse is that most of the money doled out by
Government and Lottery is given to the very few and not spread amongst the
majority.
Millions of pounds went into the 2012 Olympics and we were
promised a future legacy of sport, this has not happened the Governments own
survey proves less people are doing sport, (the only plus is more people are
using cycles) If that is the case why is that the majority of Government and
lottery funding going to produce Olympic Champions in a few Olympic Sports?
These few athletes may produce Olympic medals and in some cases become
extremely rich because of it all funded by the Taxpayer. Of course these
athletes train exceptional hard to reach that standard as someone who trained
for the 1980 Olympics I know how hard that is. I also know the disappointment
of not being selected like the great majority of Sportsman who tried for the
Games. Fame and fortune only goes to winners in sport BUT should the Taxpayer
be funding people to become extremely rich?
Back in the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’ and 80’s countries like Soviet
Union, Cuba, USA and China would put millions into the Olympic Games a so
called amateur event Why? Because they wanted to prove their political system
was superior to all the others “Our Country has won all these medals that
proves we are the best Country in the World” credit to GB sport we stood by the
amateur ideal although we never won a lot of medals we knew we had played the
game and did not cheat. That changed when the Olympics was opened to
Professionals and we came more successful, suddenly Governments of all colours
could see the capital they could make out of sport. So the Olympic athlete was
not a poor struggling individual but some one who could live comfortably on
government sponsorship, one diver complained when he had his grant stopped he
would no longer be able to pay his mortgage. Is that what governments grants
should be doing? I do not object to athletes making money from their sport
after all they have a limited time to do it but surely the time has come for
Government money spent on sport should be spread amongst all sports and let top
athletes get proper sponsorship deal from companies and individuals NOT
GOVERNMENT
Sport should be about making the Country healthy and fit
amongst many other things. Although most have pride when you see a Brit on the
Olympic Rostrum but I would have more pride if I see every Sports Club/Martial
Arts Club full to the brim with members. If we do not have more participants we
will eventually stop getting medals irrelevant of funding for Sport and Martial
Arts are like a pyramid the Base has to be big and strong to support those at
the top.
Just to finish is Government Funded Sport doing much to help
working class people and poor people, take a look at the details below and make
up your own mind?
The Old Sports Council used to have a saying “SPORT FOR ALL”
I am sorry to say that is not now the case. The UK need
UK Sport, the body that distributes money to Olympic and
Paralympic sports, will receive £125m per year. The level of funding from the
National Lottery will be an estimated £87m per year, with around £40m coming
from the Government.
2012
£6.1m over the next four years judo
Top five best funded
Olympic sports
·
Rowing - £32.6m
·
Cycling - £30.6m
·
Athletics - £26.8m
·
Sailing - £24.5m
·
Swimming - £21.4m
Olympic Sports
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