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truevalues

Listed below are comments made by truevalues between Friday, 8th August 2008 and Monday, 24th August 2009.

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World medals only half story for GB 3:44pm on 24 Aug 2009 Well remember it could have been just 5 medals BUT thanks to the disqualification of the USA mens 4 x 100m relay team Great Britain were able to snatch a bronze in the final. So we may not be so lucky next time!
Update: 2012 budget already using contingency fund 01:26am on 25 Jan 2009 The likes of Chis Hoy will become multimillionaires on the back of TV appearances and sponsorship deals - the latest I’ve seen is Kelloggs bran flakes. Recently the tax payer had to stump up even more money to pay for the funding of these Olympic sports, and make good the shortfall which UK Sport failed to raise from sponsorship. Rather than get the country into more debt in order to pay for a few elite sportspeople the solution is simple - just take back 10% of their earnings from sponsorship deals - and I’m sure we could significantly reduce the tax payer’s burdon!

We could also reduce the tax burden of these London Olympics if those Olympic athletes we are paying for put some of their sponsorship endorsements back into the pot rather than keeping all the money for themselves! Alternatively, they could pay for the services they receive e.g. medical care and physiotherapy once their earnings go above a certain threshold. The 600million funding package for team GB leading up to 2012 was made up of 200million from central government i.e. taxpayers money, 300million lottery cash and a further 100million was supposed to have been raised by UK Sport from private sponsorship. UK Sport failed to raise the 100million, so the shortfall was found from lottery cash plus another 29 million of tax payer’s money.

If UK Sport couldn’t raise the shortfall from private sponsorship, my point is that surely the athletes and sports benefiting from this unprecedented level of funding should at least pay a small proportion back into the kitty to help everyone else - especially those athletes set to make a tidy income from their new found fame and success. I've stopped buying lottery tickets since money for grassroots projects has been cut. Why should the taxpayer plug the shortfall? We are in the midst of a serious public financial crisis and the country is getting further and further into debt - so surely instead of expecting the tax payer to pay for everything for a few sportspeople to have a platform to promote themselves in London a small proportion of their earnings should go back into the fund to pay back the taxpayer and fund the future. Who else would receive so much public money to fund them to train and become a millionaire? Past athletes had to make their own way with minimal funding - but this current crop are sponging off the rest of us. Its payback time Olympic heroes!
Dramatic athletics - but Britain beware 10:49am on 24 Aug 2008 The same staff have been involved in UKA for years - especially in endurance - what about their accountability to nurturing the talent? Why have so few endurance athletes come through? Why do a number of female athletes end up with eating disorders and fall by the wayside?

Are they adopting the Brailsford approach and properly utilising every possible form of expertise available to them - or do they run a closed shop - taking charge of everything themselves, refusing to open their minds to new ideas. Clive Woodwards philosophy is to do 100 things 1% better - what 100 things will they do better?
Dramatic athletics - but Britain beware 10:11am on 24 Aug 2008 Athletics still have not got their priorities right. Too much in-fighting going on between coaches and Performance Managers who are far too career orientated. Its still a popularity contest, and quite frankly good experienced people are being kept out. I reckon the 2 camps mentioned above also apply to the coaches and Performance Managers too!

1. The Team Players
2. The "Big I ams"
Post your questions on London 2012 10:26am on 22 Aug 2008 Clearly a huge amount of investment has gone already, and will be going into the elite end of sport. Seb Coe keeps promising a legacy for sports participation in the UK. Id like to see the plan for this ahead of the Olympics - as in Australia - even after hosting the Sydney Games and Melbourne Commonwealth Games obesity is now ranked higfhest in the world amongst Australians. Im concerned that schools have lost playing fields, local sports and clubs lost lottery funding all diverted to fund elite sport. At present there is no evidence that sports paerticipation is increasing in the UK. Finally what about the advertising that goes on in sport - its oven chips in athletics, lots of sugary drinks everywhere - what about some healthier messages coming through? Come on Seb - lets have this strategy on the table - not empty promises.
Paula deserves praise and plaudits 10:25am on 17 Aug 2008 I think UK Athletics are desperate right now - and putting Paula in the marathon indicated how bad things have got. Its a waste of Lottery money funding the likes of Paula to be at the Olympics - the programme has got its prorities wrong and should have been a bit more honest in the first place and embarked on a more focused development programme rather than wasting all the money it has on the no hopers over the past 4 years.
Frankie's early exit hangs heavy 9:11pm on 08 Aug 2008 The lottery funding should be used to good benefit. Firstly I think the support staff employed by lottery money i.e. lottery funded nutritionists and trainers employed to support Frankie should be called to account - its ludicrous that at the 11th hour Kerry Kayes was called in to try and sort out what they didnt do.

Secondly - I think blaming the athlete is a cop out - Im sure Frankie wouldnt have deliberately ended up at an Olympic Games to so publicly not make weight. Why didnt the lottery funded nutritionists at the English Institute of Sport who were out at Macau also do something sooner?

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