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Original poster

Team GB achievements - underfunded

40 replies

Onheretoomuch · 31/07/2024 13:16

Is it reasonable to say that Team GB do so incredibly well at the Olympics considering how much sport here is hugely under-funded particularly in comparison to China, USA, Australia, Japan etc.

I have so much respect for the athletes and am so proud. Bring on the next events!!

OP posts:
BrightLightTonight · 31/07/2024 19:32

And the alternative is, once again, the tax payer picks up the bill. £22b in debt apparently, so where is the additional sport funding going to come from?

SonicTheHodgeheg · 31/07/2024 19:29

IIRC the US paralympions do not get investment that you’d expect from a rich, sporty country like the US.

SonicTheHodgeheg · 31/07/2024 19:27

It depends on the sport too. US rapper Flavor Flav is sponsoring the US water polo teams for the next 5 years after reading about how they all had second and/or third jobs in order to support their sporting ambitions.

Aphrodite89 · 31/07/2024 19:18

Onheretoomuch · 31/07/2024 16:38

I do pay to watch athletics and swimming which are rarely televised on terrestrial channels which would help.

Show quote history

Not sure where you've got this 'hugely underfunded' thing from. That may well be the case with China as nobody really knows how much they spend and the USA are unique due to the strength of the collegiate system there. But we spend significantly more per head of population than almost every other comparable country and our improvement in the medal table has been a direct consequence of that.

A bit of Google research gives a funding figure for Australia of around £52m over the last Olympic cycle and for Japan, £32m. The equivalent figure for the UK in the same period: £245m.

Original poster
Onheretoomuch · 31/07/2024 16:38

CraftyNavySeal · 31/07/2024 15:13

Football funds itself through ticket sales, merch, TV subscriptions etc.

If you are happy to spend thousands on a season ticket to watch people run around a track or do gymnastics then there will be more money in it.

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I do pay to watch athletics and swimming which are rarely televised on terrestrial channels which would help.

OP posts:
CraftyNavySeal · 31/07/2024 15:13

Onheretoomuch · 31/07/2024 14:08

its sad when you think of the money involved in football for example

Show quote history

Football funds itself through ticket sales, merch, TV subscriptions etc.

If you are happy to spend thousands on a season ticket to watch people run around a track or do gymnastics then there will be more money in it.

Hankunamatata · 31/07/2024 15:09

Look at Bethany Shriever. She won gold at the last Tokyo Olympics for bmx racing. She was self funded as they pulled the funding for FEMALE bmx after the previous Olympics.

DancefloorAcrobatics · 31/07/2024 14:15

lateatwork · 31/07/2024 14:10

Competitive sport is expensive.

Coaching fees, kit, travel, competition entry fees etc

I agree.

And it starts when DC join a sports club. Once they reach competition level and are mostly successful it's really expensive. Costs that are carried by the parents, friends and other family. That is until they get a sponsor, if ever.

lateatwork · 31/07/2024 14:10

Competitive sport is expensive.

Coaching fees, kit, travel, competition entry fees etc

Original poster
Onheretoomuch · 31/07/2024 14:08

PuttingDownRoots · 31/07/2024 13:31

I had a friend at the European championships for her sport recently. She got a few medals.

The team needed to use GoFundMe for their travel and hotels.

its sad when you think of the money involved in football for example

OP posts:
Original poster
Onheretoomuch · 31/07/2024 14:06

Lifestooshort71 · 31/07/2024 13:29

If, as you say, they're doing so incredibly well then perhaps we're funding them to the right extent?

I did wonder that and maybe for some athletes but then I feel other countries have proved that proper funding makes a big difference. We must surely be missing talent where the facilities, coaching and opportunities just isn’t available

OP posts:
Original poster
Onheretoomuch · 31/07/2024 14:03

WASZPy · 31/07/2024 13:29

It just means that most of our athletes are from wealthy families. My DS sails; the RYA did some research this year and found that the average cost to the family of sailing on the youth pathway is 11k/pa. I bet gymnastics is similar and equestrianism much more.

Edited

I appreciate that is true of some sports but I’m not sure it applies to all. It makes you wonder what could be achieved if the funding was there for all talent.

OP posts:
PuttingDownRoots · 31/07/2024 13:31

I had a friend at the European championships for her sport recently. She got a few medals.

The team needed to use GoFundMe for their travel and hotels.

Lifestooshort71 · 31/07/2024 13:29

If, as you say, they're doing so incredibly well then perhaps we're funding them to the right extent?

WASZPy · 31/07/2024 13:29

It just means that most of our athletes are from wealthy families. My DS sails; the RYA did some research this year and found that the average cost to the family of sailing on the youth pathway is 11k/pa. I bet gymnastics is similar and equestrianism much more.

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