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Original poster

NO Olympic Medals - why not?

95 replies

Polyanthus2 · 15/02/2022 12:05

It seems weird we are doing so badly in the winter olympics - is it because of Covid and athletes couldn't get to the best places to train?

Any other suggestions?

OP posts:
Ylvamoon · 15/02/2022 12:07

... and Funding.

TroysMammy · 15/02/2022 12:09

We don't have much snow in the UK? Grin

Echobelly · 15/02/2022 12:12

I don't think we ever do, with the odd exception. Not much snow = not much funding. It seems like we do best on things that can be done indoors like skating.

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General sports
MrsWooster · 15/02/2022 12:12

Because astonishingly few WO games rely on a climate of damp grey rain and hills-not-mountains?

Luredbyapomegranate · 15/02/2022 12:17

It’s the other Olympics we do well in

Original poster
Polyanthus2 · 15/02/2022 12:19

We got a gold, a silver and 3 bronze in 2014

OP posts:
Leftbutcameback · 15/02/2022 12:23

Their target this year is minimum 3 medals. Charlotte Banks didn't do as well as expected I know, and I've heard the artificial snow is harder for some. It's not great is it.

Alexandra2001 · 15/02/2022 12:23

@Ylvamoon

... and Funding.
The Skelton got £6.1m, skiing & snow boarding 9m, Curling 9m.... many Olympians live in the alps, Figure skating got almost nothing.

Covid effected everyone.

So the conclusion has to be we aren't actually very world beating, though it over yet.

Original poster
Polyanthus2 · 15/02/2022 12:24

I think I presumed that all the tv coverage meant we were actually in with a chance. I'm not that gripped to watch other country's sports people.

OP posts:
AndrewPreview · 15/02/2022 12:26

In the bobsled/skeleton type events, our equipment isn't up to scratch so our times aren't what they should be. I think there was an article on the beeb website about it.

thecatsthecats · 15/02/2022 12:28

TV coverage is largely dependent on time difference.

Why are you only invested in British Olympians?

Some of the best are spellbinding performers at the top of their game.

Some of them I wouldn't give a fuck if they were British, Japanese or from the moon if the sport is dull.

ouch321 · 15/02/2022 12:29

I really like watching the skating. But v little Team GB participation.

There's an interesting show on BBC3 called Freeze in case anyone else is interested.

Also I think many rinks around the UK have closed over the years which doesn't help.

MoltenLasagne · 15/02/2022 12:33

I like watching even knowing we're not going to do well. Seeing athletes skiing up a massive jump backwards to do a twist flip whatever is incredible because I feel terrified doing bunny hops.

We're a country with one teeny tiny ski resort up in Scotland which (no offense Scots) is pretty basic - we were never going to be able to compete with nations like France and Japan.

littlecottonbud · 15/02/2022 12:41

The nordic countries are just better at winter sports - I think we should withdraw the funding for winter sports. The money would be spent better elsewhere. We've just wasted millions on plain average skiiers and snowboarders - we will never have another Torvill and Dean (don't think they were bestowed with taxpayers money)

pussycatunpickingcrossesagain · 15/02/2022 12:43

We aren't a naturally cold country (Scotland is - and probably will get quite a dump of snow at the end of the week).

a PP mentioned olympians living in the Alps - fine, but the UK isn't in the Alps, so they need to compete for another country or get sponsorship.

Snowboarding, skiing and ice skating are hobbies. Why pay someone to slide down a mountain head first on a tea tray?

campion · 15/02/2022 12:47

No one accidentally swallowed their grandfather's heart medication, I guessHmm

The best bit for me has been the complaints about it snowing. Also the playmobil version elsewhere in here!

Leftbutcameback · 15/02/2022 12:49

I loved seeing the oldies win the team boarder cross (I think I’ve got that right?) it was lovely!

TheLovleyChebbyMcGee · 15/02/2022 12:49

We're a country with one teeny tiny ski resort up in Scotland which (no offense Scots) is pretty basic - we were never going to be able to compete with nations like France and Japan

None taken, I was coming to say the same! The cairngorm are nice if they have a good season, but they are so far away from what, 95% of the UK population?

I love fairly close and have only been twice in my life. I've snowboarded more in Canada than here and the tiny Canadian resorts I was at were both much better and bigger than the cairngorms. I've also been down a bobsled run in Canada that was bloody amazing but I'd have no idea where I could do that here.

Its ok to be mediocre at things too!

thecatsthecats · 15/02/2022 12:51

To be honest, a LOT of Olympic sports are just amped up hobbies.

I love a lot of it, and the ones that really help mass participation in sport are good, but the more finite disciplines are pointless on an international scale.

It's meaningless to win the Backwards Double Loop Sidejump Gold, because at best you're competing against the fifty people globally who bothered to try out when they weren't good enough to compete in the mainstream contests but still wanted a medal.

Likewise all the extra medals in swimming, where athletes can get multiple medals for being best over very small increments of distance. Just like those people who got fifteen GCSEs because they took Further Maths, Further Advanced Maths and Advanced Maths.

GrandRapids · 15/02/2022 12:53

9 million invested in curling?! Jesus Confused

Original poster
Polyanthus2 · 15/02/2022 12:56

Yes, the number of different sports has expanded a lot over the last decade or so. It's getting out of hand.

OP posts:
Parky04 · 15/02/2022 12:57

Because we are awful and the Russians cheat!

needmoreshinys · 15/02/2022 13:20

Our teatrays failed for some reason, so I think we were in for a hope for those, we dont put the money into the sports, a lot of the atheletes are self funding and especially now it must be near impossible to get people to part with their money.

But I still like there are some countries you wouldn't expect to see out there, Malta, Jamacia, America Samoa, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and a few others, plus alot of them have been really exciting,

Alexandra2001 · 15/02/2022 13:23

@Parky04

Because we are awful and the Russians cheat!
Yes we are, with a few exceptions.

Don't know about the Russian lass, she is only 15 and she hasn't denied Team GB a medal.

Personally, given China's human rights record, which is among the worlds worst, the 'games shouldn't have been held there, especially as there is a better than even chance they released covid onto the rest of us.

balalake · 15/02/2022 13:52

The last two or three Winter Olympics have been exceptions to the general trend it seems. I don't view it as doing badly.

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