To ask how an independent Scotland would fund the ex Team GB athletes?

[Bearbehind]

I have no idea how sports funding works, hence the question, but watching the Winter Olympics has got me thinking. If Scotland votes for independence what would happen to, for example the Curling team, who are all Scottish?

In principle I'd have thought Team GB has access to more funding/ sponsorship etc as a bigger entity but could an independent Scotland provide the required support?

[HadABadDay2014]

I don't think sporting events are funded by the tax payer, so it will be down to the sponsors and fans.

[Bearbehind]

But wouldn't they both be drastically reduced if Scotland was independent?

[Shesparkles]

Feck knows, given there's not even been a plan B for currency should independance happen....

[Kaffiene]

Sport Scotland and Sport England are already difference bodies. So I would assume it would stay the same and just have separate teams.

[fauxhat]

Other small Euro countries manage it.Why will Scotland be any different.

[LessMissAbs]

I wonder how athletes who currently use facilities only accessible to Team GB which are located in England would fare. And whether they would continue to be coached by top GB coaches.

[chesterberry]

Well technically the current Scottish athletes are British as they were born and/or raised in Great Britain and not born/raised in an independent Scotland. Many of them are not even living in Scotland now so presumably they would have the choice of staying in the Great British team if they choose not to identify as Scottish. I suppose those who choose to identify as Scottish for future competitions would be supported by an independent Scotland in the same way as athletes from other small independent countries are supported.

[Pumpkinpositive]

Well, we can remove Elise Christie from the equation for starters...

[lljkk]

I am quite sure that there is no way Chris Hoy would have achieved what he did as a Scottish-only athlete. Look at someone like Grégory Baugé, who has the misfortune to be French; he'd beat Jason Kenny with the right coaching, Dave Brailsford style. Many athletes are strongly disadvantaged by being part of a small country. There are athletes who have changed countries a few times often specifically to get more support (eg., one of the 2012 British equestrians also competed at international level for Ireland), so probably porous nationality would be enabled for a spell.

The British road racing team would struggle without David Miller and there's no pack of Graham Obree types to enable Miller to race for Scotland. So there's someone else who would have had to choose his nationality for sure.

Zola Budd, anyone?

[Tailtwister]

No idea, but if Scotland does become independent I suspect that will be the least of our worries...

[mrsjay]

the scottish Brittish curling team will get loads of funding going to the winter olympics is just part of what they do

[meditrina]

Scotland is already independent in a number of sporting bodies/events. They'd extend the same separation to all remaining sports. Yes, they'd have to fund it, but presumably they'd see that as just something to do directly, rather than pay into a unified GB series of organisations and receive funding back.

If their athletes wanted to train in a foreign country, they can (that's common practice already where ere are no facilities in someone's home country - eg for ski-ing events, or altitude fitness training for endurance runners, or high level tennis coaching in US, and many other examples).

[mrsjay]

most sports teams are funded by sposership anyway even for the olympics so if sports England/scotland/wales/Nireland fund all the sports people they would have no money left it has to be spread out doesn't it , so teams like the curlers really do need to part fund some of the trips themselves

[Bearbehind]

fauxhat, I know other countries manage but my point comes from the fact Scotland has never had to and if, Like lessmissabs says, their current performance is partially due to the resources afforded to them through being part if GB, will they continue to get anything like the same support.

[meditrina]

From the TeamGB FAQs: "The British Olympic Association (BOA) is solely responsible for funding Team GB’s participation at the Olympic Games. The BOA does not receive government or lottery funding and is completely dependent upon commercial sponsorship and fundraising income."

iScotland would need to set up its own Olympic association and deal with its own funding. If sponsors/fundraisers are Scotland based, then it would be reasonable to expect that would transfer over. There is also scope to negotiate some form of transitional funding, but ultimately, iScotland will need to make independent arrangements, which need not mirror those of TeamGB.

[MothratheMighty]

You know, having sporting heroines and heroes is wonderful, fabulous and sooooo important Darlinks. I know, I know. National Pride demands it.
However, focusing on being able to have a well-fed, well-educated, well-housed and stable civilisation is a teensy bit more important.
Biggest foodbank in Scotland ran out of food last week.

[giggly]

Then Andy Murray and Chris Hoy are all ours

[mrsjay]

wellif scotland do become independent then they will have at least 2s ports teams that are guaranteed to win

[mrsjay]

Chris hoy shallow

[LessMissAbs]

Its not just resources and funding, its access to training with peers. Social facilitation is very important in sports performance, and most athletes do better when training in groups that encourage them to achieve to higher levels. While "foreign" athletes do train with primarily athletes from other countries, it is much harder for them to access that kind of training and coaching if they are not from a large successful sporting nation to start with.

[LessMissAbs]

e.g. if you are a 400m runner with Olympic final aspirations, you will get better training if you can run all year with several other athletes in the 45-46s band. In Scotland at present that wouldn't be really possible.

[Bearbehind]

I'm not 'bleating' brokenhearted55a, just asking a question.

I agree this is way down the list of priorities for iScotland, knowing what bloody currency they would even need to raise funds in is slightly more important, but I was just interested to know if it's even been considered.

And the Scots can definitely keep Murray- even without devolution- miserable git.