Olympic Funding article

Hard done by history, captain Bligh.

Fletcher Christian's allegedly lost out to his cousin in a battle for the heart and hand of another cousin, a heiress. The cousin who won her hand and fortune then got into sailboat racing and organised the first regatta that involved centreboarders.

Originally posted by Rupert Hard done by history, captain Bligh.

Hard done by hollywood more like.

A similar move towards funding sports based on participation rather than medals has been announced here in Australia. The problem of the promotion of elitist forms of sailing and sport rather than promoting participation seems to be coming home to roost. Our sport and sports funding bodies have been following an illusion for about 20 years. The funding bodies have now woken up, but our sport still continues down the wrong path.

The Olympic ideal has never been interested in the dumpy kid at the back, just the triangular one at the front - the one who picks the team in the playground, not the last to be chosen.
We need well funded community sport to allow that kid to go sailing, play basketball, run round and round, whatever it is which gives exercise and perhaps a sense of worth and belonging, even if they are crap at it. It's all very well to say that because it is a hobby, the kid, or now grown kid, should have to pay to play, but if there is no infrastructure, no way of trying things out, no help for people to buy or borrow kit to use, then sport will always be out of reach.
Schools appear to have been forced away from sport for all by pressure on funding decided by exam results, so I guess community needs to step in.

Question is, will any funding cuts to elite sailing actually end up with grass roots sailing? And so long as it ends up at grass roots somewhere, does that matter?