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tack'ho View Drop Down
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Posts: 1100 		Post Options Post Options   Quote tack'ho Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Times Article
    Posted: 16 Aug 08 at 4:20pm

While reading the newspaper today I came upon an article explaing in great detail how sports like sailing, rowing, Equestrian and cycling are dominated by the rich countries.  How they should be dumped from the Olympics and the money distrubuted to more worthy sports, that working class kids can get involved in. See linky

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_co ntributors/article4542323.ece

In short it was some of the most ignorant ill informed journalism I have had the misfortune to read for some time.  And the culprit who wrote it?  A unsucessful ex-ping pong, sorry Table tennis, British Olympic rep. 



Edited by tack'ho
I might be sailing it, but it's still sh**e!
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Contender 541 View Drop Down
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Posts: 1402 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Contender 541 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 08 at 4:35pm

Typical

The only Saturday I have not bought the Times for months and there is something in there worth ranting about
When you find a big kettle of crazy it's probably best not to stir it - Pointy Haired Boss

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AdrianM View Drop Down
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Posts: 33 		Post Options Post Options   Quote AdrianM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 08 at 4:39pm
It's not the first time he written on this kind of theme.  It ignore two points, one is that State Schools sold the sporting chance of their charges down the river many years ago and  that the standard of Sports Teachers in the private sector is generally much higher, many having participated at a professional level in their disicipline.  Two is that swimming is (probably) the most accessible of all Olympic sports and barring our two Golds this year we normally fall well short.
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tack'ho View Drop Down
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Posts: 1100 		Post Options Post Options   Quote tack'ho Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 08 at 4:45pm
Yes I've just looked up this individual at it appears he has a massive chip on his shoulder about all things race and class, and consistently fails to either research his articles properly, or just purposefully mis-represents/quotes what he has bothered to read.  In short he's a bit of an ignorant failed wanabee politician.

Edited by tack'ho
I might be sailing it, but it's still sh**e!
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Scooby_simon View Drop Down
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Posts: 2415 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Scooby_simon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 08 at 8:19pm

Originally posted by tack'ho

Yes I've just looked up this individual at it appears he has a massive chip on his shoulder about all things race and class, and consistently fails to either research his articles properly, or just purposefully mis-represents/quotes what he has bothered to read.  In short he's a bit of an ignorant failed wanabee politician.

 

Sounds like a comment that needs making on the times website.

Wanna learn to Ski - PM me..
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m_liddell View Drop Down
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Posts: 583 		Post Options Post Options   Quote m_liddell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 08 at 11:47pm
Probably not totally related to the article but I sailed with the Bulgarian sailing team last year. These guys had falling apart 470s from the 1984 games and some were using windsurf harnesses because they didn't have enough cash to buy proper ones. All the money went on travel to events so they could at least compete.

Some of the sailors were pretty talented but all of them knew no matter how hard they trained they would never make it.

Sailing in a F5 with a storm approaching and being totally unable to understand what the helm was saying was amusing!
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allanorton View Drop Down
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Posts: 228 		Post Options Post Options   Quote allanorton Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 08 at 8:04am

I agree with most of the article, I think the laser is the only credible olympic class. 

I think that at the olympics the classes should be represented by at least 30 countries or the racing gets abandoned!

Countries like the UK, USA, China, Aus, Fra, Ger, etc. should be donating kit to the poorer countires in the weak classes - 49er, star, yngling etc if they want to keep these classes in the olympics.

At present, the only classes worth a medal are the laser, rsx & 470, (6 classes) the rest shouldn't be in the olympics until they can get the numbers up.
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tack'ho View Drop Down
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Posts: 1100 		Post Options Post Options   Quote tack'ho Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 08 at 8:30am

I don't know if you noticed but the sailors seem to have very little say in what boats they sail.....

I do tend to agree that a transition to simple boats with supplied kit would help....but I would hazard a guess that the costs of competing at the top level are far more associated with coaching, training, travelling, eating, met research etc than the cost of a boat like the laser.  And thats where the crux of the article falls apart.  All these sports that the poor nations excel in......have a look at where there athletes train and compete.  Make no mistake these guys and girls are all consumate pros, the idea that they practice by running the streets of Nairobi...bless him!  Their out there trg at altitude going to camps and competeing on a paid circuit with prize money well in excess of that available in any of the events he mentions.

In fact were these elite sports removed I'm guessing we'd simply turn our attention and finacial clout to the sports excelled in by the poorer countries and then where will his socialist utopia be?



Edited by tack'ho
I might be sailing it, but it's still sh**e!
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