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The RYA will boycott another Olympics? |
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alstorer
Really should get out more Joined: 02 Aug 07 Location: Cambridge Online Status: Offline Posts: 2899 |
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Topic: The RYA will boycott another Olympics? Posted: 07 Apr 12 at 7:35pm |
the thing is that RYA will always be involved in politics in some way. Part of their reason to exist is to be voice for sailors, protecting our ability to go about our sport without undue legislstion getting in the way. Where it becomes a problem is when it gets involved in the wrong politics- but definining that is hard to say. And who knows what deals get done on our behalf- its hard to know, but what if the RYA boycott helped buy cooperation on something affecting the bulk of the membership? would not having to have a "sailing licence" like the French be worth upsetting twenty or so sailors by deying them a chance to go the Olympics?
I still agree though that it should be a BOA descion not to go and that it should be removed from being something the RYA can do. |
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Al |
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Colin Simonds
Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 12 Location: London Online Status: Offline Posts: 22 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Apr 12 at 6:46pm |
Regrets but we do not trust the BOA either - nothing personal- but they are also open to government bribes and threats in a way the athletes are not.
In swimming and Athletics the athletes decide to follow any voluntary boycott - or not. That way no one can bully or bribe the atheltics or swimming federations - Why should our sailors be at risk when the athletics and most others are not?
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Colin Simonds
One of 12 Winners of 1980 Olympic trials - but RYA Boycotted the 1980 Games. Founder member 2012 Anti RYA Boycott Group. Petition website www.nomoreRYAolympicboycotts.com |
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sargesail
Really should get out more Joined: 14 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1459 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Apr 12 at 9:00pm |
+1 Al. Unlike most sporting bodies the RYA has an important representative role for all recreational boat users. There are plenty of recent examples of its effective influence on government and non-government bodies. That is a key difference to all other sporting bodies - one can not conceive of the swimming association having to work on National England to prevent MCZs impinging on the sport, or the Athletics body needing to work to prevent legislation which would stop a jogger running after a drink. I want it to retain all of its power as an organisation in order that it can work its influence to the max. That means not giving decisions on boycotts to the athletes.
From a personal perspective I do recognise that there are things more important than sport. I am not sure that the focussed (selfish (in a good way in order to reach peak performance)) athlete is best placed to make such decisions. I also think its a bit of a dead issue - I suspect that in this day and age the corporate sponsorship input would be as big an influence on the decision as government pressure, and therefore the team would go ahead.
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Colin Simonds
Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 12 Location: London Online Status: Offline Posts: 22 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Apr 12 at 9:51pm |
Gobsmacked that to you ( and you are not alone) the athletes lives and dreams and efforts and rights seem to be pawns here that are less important than other RYA membership needs and tradeable without thier permission for the benefit of other members - but - it is a free country.
In 1980 the Rowers sponsors withdrew their money due to public pressure - and though the rowers got their council to change thier mind adn allow them to go, there was little money and Steve Redgrave's team did not go as they had no funding -
To a top sportsman there is almost nothing more important than the sport - without this they would not get to the top and we would have no medals at this or any other Olympics. do they not have rights too? should their council not suppport them also?
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Colin Simonds
One of 12 Winners of 1980 Olympic trials - but RYA Boycotted the 1980 Games. Founder member 2012 Anti RYA Boycott Group. Petition website www.nomoreRYAolympicboycotts.com |
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sargesail
Really should get out more Joined: 14 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1459 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Apr 12 at 10:18pm |
Colin - I've touched (at outstretched fingernail) elite performance in sport and elsewhere. Perhaps the reason I only touched was the fact that I do not put the athletes lives and dreams above the other factors.
For me I find myself frustrated that the energy that is going in to this campaign is not being used more positively to grow our sport in a key opportunity year, rather than exploiting the profile of 2012 for an, as I see it, at best non-issue, and at worst a change with a potential negative effect.
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JimC
Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6648 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Apr 12 at 10:21pm |
And quite rightly so. If the RYA is not placing the interests of the vast majority of its members above that of the tiny minority who go Olympic sailing then it has gone badly wrong. And yes, you're quite right that to a top sportsman there is almost nothing more important than their sport, but isn't that an excellent argument for *not* giving them the final say? Frankly a lot of them would still want to go if Genghis Khan was co hosting the games with Pol Pot and they'd wiped out the population of a few villages to clear the space for the Olympic stadium... And yes, you probably do need that level of focus and singlemindedness to win a medal, but that doesn't mean its healthy. The trouble with repetitive posting in bold is that you tend, I'm afraid, to erode at least some folks's sympathy for your cause. Edited by JimC - 09 Apr 12 at 10:22pm |
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Colin Simonds
Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 12 Location: London Online Status: Offline Posts: 22 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Apr 12 at 12:57am |
Your views are noted - I feel the need to mention that I have also put 20 plus years into local class Committee work at my club including local class captain for 5 years - 6 years into UK and World council committees and being class measurer for the SB3 class - was an RYA qualified coach for a few years - I have done my positive time for the dady to day sport as well as campaign for the future of our Olympic athletes - despite what the RYA did to us in 1980 - at least three of the team had varying levels of long term depression.
If Ghengis Kahn etc then the government would make it illegal to go -
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Colin Simonds
One of 12 Winners of 1980 Olympic trials - but RYA Boycotted the 1980 Games. Founder member 2012 Anti RYA Boycott Group. Petition website www.nomoreRYAolympicboycotts.com |
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Apr 12 at 8:28pm |
Could you re-iterate why this campaign is happening now, rather than 30 years ago, please?
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ex laser
Really should get out more Joined: 25 Mar 09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 725 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Apr 12 at 9:36pm |
+1
times and atitudes are so different now! Edited by ex laser - 10 Apr 12 at 9:38pm |
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Colin Simonds
Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 12 Location: London Online Status: Offline Posts: 22 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Apr 12 at 11:38pm |
Fair Question.
The campaign is happening now for many reasons.
1 When we tried to campaign in 1980 to be allowed to go to Moscow as a team ( ie reverse the boycott decision as the rowers had achieved) or go as individuals at our own expense (as some countries did) we were threatened with a life ban from the British team so we had no choice but to drop our then efforts.
2 When Thatcher gave Lord Coe for example an MBE for his moscow Gold medal only 18 months after were were not allowed to go - at her request - we were devastated that his showed to all the clear error that RYA had made Even Thatcher had done a U turn - but with 1984 trials in mind we were still unable to do anything. Only when we had all retired was anything possible and by then we had not stomach for another battle.
3 Then came the bizarre tranposition of our troops in Afghanistan not Russians and the Olympics in UK not Moscow- and the whole Beijing boycott scare in 2008 due to Tibet.
We realised the threat of another boycott for our sailing team was still real and now we had a chance of press interest.
On researching it we found that no single event Sports boycott has EVER changed any target government policy anywhere ( FACT ) it is just a cheap political stunt at a weak minorities' expense. Products and technology usualy go one being sold and tourists still travel.
The Olympics being in the UK in 2012 would give the focus we needed to get our case heard at last and a real one off chance to protect future atheletes was set as our prime target. On that some small steps forward have been achieved - but no where near enough.
Thanks for the question
In a word we relaised our atheletes are still at risk and we realised we must act to do out utmost to stop what happened to us ever happening again to anyone.
We are now big enough and old enough and have the time and money to make this happen , On our site we have now almost 500 Votes cast - when will the RYA executive stop hiding and agree to meet us on this key issue and to discuss it?
At the November RYA AGM - we made our case clearly - and the Council reviewed our outlined points and threw them all out we were not offered to make our case in person and our feedback of what was said - is shall we say far off the point.
Our various written requests since for a meeting at the RYA have not met with the courtesy of an answer.
Will we have to call an EGM just to get a meeting between the RYA and its erstwhile team? how bizarre would that be~?
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Colin Simonds
One of 12 Winners of 1980 Olympic trials - but RYA Boycotted the 1980 Games. Founder member 2012 Anti RYA Boycott Group. Petition website www.nomoreRYAolympicboycotts.com |
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