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Thread: Winter Olympics, is it worth the money?

  1. #1

    Winter Olympics, is it worth the money?

    I just watched a bit of The bobsleigh and was surprised to hear how much funding we have given them, £5 million and they won’t even finish in the top ten!

    Mind you this led me to look up a few more sports and I just don’t get it, the Olympic equestrian term were funded to the tune of £14.5 million.

    Where does All that money go and is it worth it?

    http://www.uksport.gov.uk/our-work/i...unding-figures

    Olympic funding was £266 million! And that was just the basics.

  2. #2
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Winter Olympics, is it worth the money?

    Most of it comes from the lottery rather than the taxpayer.

    To run a World Cup bobsleigh team of two, you’ve eight athletes and at least one coach travelling around the world along with their sleds, gear and spares.
    One decent sled costs a minimum of £50k to buy too. Then there’s the cost of bringing new talent in to the sport and all the training and development costs to consider.
    We also have a training facility in the uk too which costs to set up and run.

    Your £5 million doesn’t actually go very far.

    Other sports are not dissimilar in their costs either; success doesn’t come cheap!

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    Most of it comes from the lottery rather than the taxpayer.

    To run a World Cup bobsleigh team of two, you’ve eight athletes and at least one coach travelling around the world along with their sleds, gear and spares.
    One decent sled costs a minimum of £50k to buy too. Then there’s the cost of bringing new talent in to the sport and all the training and development costs to consider.
    We also have a training facility in the uk too which costs to set up and run.

    Your £5 million doesn’t actually go very far.

    Other sports are not dissimilar in their costs either; success doesn’t come cheap!
    The lottery funding ‘is’ the tax payer - they just like to make it sound like a benevolent organization.

    As to whether it’s worth the cost is another matter. We are in general terms a very rich country.
    It's just a matter of time...

  4. #4
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    I've never been sporty. Never had to visit A&E with a sports related injury. Never taken time off work due to sports. Never visited my doctor due to lack of exercise ............ yet after a "well man" MOT, the nurse decided that I was overweight and needed flu jabs! I don't bother with the "well man" clinics any more. My grandparents lived into their nineties, my dad was 89 when he passed and mum is 93 this week! None of us had the slightest interest in any sports. Worth the money? Not to me. Haven't watched any of it, apart from snippets on the news. If you want to do anything in life, you should pay for it yourself. Treatment of sports injuries should be paid for by the injured party. End of rant!

  5. #5
    I don't think it is.

    I'm happy for the government/lottery to contribute towards sport but don't like 'medal chasing'. I'd give money where it would make the most difference (either in participation or improving standards) not where we had the most chance of a medal.

  6. #6
    The £5mil mentioned for the bobsleigh team is for a 4 year programme, not just to cover the costs for this year's event. It wasn't the result we were expecting (talking about the 4 man bob) and there was a "technical issue" with the bob itself however when the entire team spend something like 5 months of the year competing around the world £5mil doesn't sound so expensive. Of course, if we were a lot closer to the podium, or even on it, then it would be easier to say that it was money well spent.

    The studio commentator did say that, in her opinion, those responsible for the bob programme should take a long hard look at themselves and the decisions that were made leading up to the Olympics. The women's 2 bob had their funding cut, went out cap-in-hand to the public, got some funding together off their own efforts and did very well.

  7. #7
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Omegamanic View Post
    The lottery funding ‘is’ the tax payer - they just like to make it sound like a benevolent organization.

    As to whether it’s worth the cost is another matter. We are in general terms a very rich country.
    Buying a lottery ticket is voluntary, paying taxes isn’t (generally). There is difference even though the money ultimately comes from the public.

    Whether it’s value for money or not is definitely open to debate.

  8. #8
    I had a moan earlier in the BP, I love skiing but wonder how much of our money the BBC have spent on covering the Winter Olympics, When it comes to curling it wouldn't surprise me if it's millions per go

    As I pay sky, I would far rather my licence fee went to the NHS

  9. #9
    With a GDP of around 2.5 - 2.6 trillion. I think we probably spend a very small percentage, but in total a load of money on sport. That’s a benefit of being a very rich country that can afford the luxury to do so. We spend a lot more on Aid programs (around 13 - 14 billion) and only an estimated 15% of that is for humanitarian funding.
    It's just a matter of time...

  10. #10
    Craftsman
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    I don't understand how they can call it the Olympics, given the Olympics is based on the athletics, strength, fighting and equestrian events held in ancient Greece and there is not a single winter sport that was part of the original Olympics.

  11. #11
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BadgerUK View Post
    I don't understand how they can call it the Olympics, given the Olympics is based on the athletics, strength, fighting and equestrian events held in ancient Greece and there is not a single winter sport that was part of the original Olympics.
    I doubt that there are any original sports that are part of the summer Olympics either!

  12. #12
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    Re the men’s 4 man Bob, if it is true that the ‘technical issue’ was one of the steel running blades was under the stipulated minimum depth due to excess polishing or a manufacturing error (pretty unlikely) then that is pretty *iss poor as all you need to check that dimension is a £20 Digital Vernier Caliper which will tell you in a few seconds if the dimension in question is or is not in tolerance. Surely someone in the support team should be responsible for sled rules compliance?
    Last edited by KavKav; 24th February 2018 at 14:00.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    Buying a lottery ticket is voluntary, paying taxes isn’t (generally). There is difference even though the money ultimately comes from the public.

    Whether it’s value for money or not is definitely open to debate.
    I have just opened my annual tax summary 2016-2017 and it says that my tax contributed to culture eg sports, libraries and museums.

    Doesn't sound voluntary to me.

    Just because the lottery funds a lot of sport doesn't mean the money couldn't be spent more wisely elsewhere. Maybe social care for example?
    A guy in our office has a girlfriend (also works for us) who competes in the most minority sport you could imagine. She gets First Class travel and accommodation paid for her partner wherever she goes to compete. She also gets 3 weeks additional paid holiday off our company, but thats another story.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by KavKav View Post
    Re the men’s 4 man Bob, if it is true that the ‘technical issue’ was one of the steel running blades was under the stipulated minimum depth due to excess polishing or a manufacturing error (pretty unlikely) then that is pretty *iss poor as all you need to check that dimension is a £20 Digital Vernier Caliper which will tell you in a few seconds if the dimension in question is or is not in tolerance. Surely someone in the support team should be responsible for sled rules compliance?
    That was exactly what they were pulled up on, and I agree that someone appears to have not done their job properly in preparing the sled. They were able to obtain another blade (or maybe a full set, I'm not sure) however the team weren't then able to adjust to the characteristics that each set run to.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by adrianw View Post
    I had a moan earlier in the BP, I love skiing but wonder how much of our money the BBC have spent on covering the Winter Olympics, When it comes to curling it wouldn't surprise me if it's millions per go

    As I pay sky, I would far rather my licence fee went to the NHS

    The bbc are taking an feed from the hosts and lost the auction for coverage to Eurosport so aren't showing as much as they have in the past (one red button choice)

    Two people talking about curling in a studio or even there in the arena is unlikely to cost that much.

  16. #16
    Master blackal's Avatar
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    Just like the Summer Olympics - it inspires youngsters to take up sports. Sure, not all of them progress beyond giving it a try - but there must be a benefit in that surely?

    Successful individuals and teams will inspire more.

  17. #17
    Exactly and if some people just enjoy watching it then good for them too.

    The I don't like it so they shouldn't show it attitude is very odd. Whilst I'd be delighted to choose the whole bbc schedule I doubt it would have broad appeal.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by adrianw View Post
    I had a moan earlier in the BP, I love skiing but wonder how much of our money the BBC have spent on covering the Winter Olympics, When it comes to curling it wouldn't surprise me if it's millions per go

    As I pay sky, I would far rather my licence fee went to the NHS
    Curling, £5.6 million, I guess those stones are expensive!

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by scottbombedout View Post
    A guy in our office has a girlfriend (also works for us) who competes in the most minority sport you could imagine. She gets First Class travel and accommodation paid for her partner wherever she goes to compete. She also gets 3 weeks additional paid holiday off our company, but thats another story.
    Curious what the sport is and what level the girl competes at?
    A friend of mine has a daughter who does Judo and by all accounts is very good at it (Welsh and British teams). I asked if she gets any funding toward the cost of overseas international competitions and was told they get nothing.

  20. #20
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    Funding depends on medal prospects and doesn’t trickle down much from top athletes.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  21. #21
    So around £5m funding in 1996, to close to £300m in 2017.
    It's just a matter of time...

  22. #22
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    It’s a ruthless way to approach subsidies to sport but the success in the Olympics since 2012 cannot be denied.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  23. #23
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    Why would you fund curling? It's not even a real sport. It might be a fun game, but to call it a sport I think is too much.

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by vadiro View Post
    Why would you fund curling? It's not even a real sport. It might be a fun game, but to call it a sport I think is too much.
    Because they won gold (not this time). It’s a chance of adding to the medal tables.
    It's just a matter of time...

  25. #25
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    I don't wish to be unduly judgmental towards Elise Christie, World Short-course speed skater, but having collectively stumped up £4.6 million over the past few years to someone who could clearly skate quickly, she completely failed in TWO Winter Olympics to even get close to a medal, with crashes and disqualifications ending her attempts. No amount of "talking up" and platitudes by Ms Balding could make up for the fact that she was a failure. The world loves a winner - and she didn't.

    As an investment she has been disappointing in the extreme and whether it was herself or her coaching team that messed up at the Olympics is immaterial. Gone are the days when sportspersons made financial sacrifices to compete - nowadays it is professional training camps, media spotlights and subsequent lucrative sponsorship deals. And she intends to be competing, she says, in the next Olympics in 4 years time - certainly easier than getting a job!

    Now I hear that the UK National "Monopoly" Team have a vacancy for a member, and if I can have the racing car................................

    Rant over :-)

  26. #26
    So the tax payer gives millions to a bunch of people to play games and have a jolly good time, and win medals which are just baubles and don’t make any difference to the world apart from some kind of international bragging rights about who’s best at playing games?
    I know that sounds incredibly cynical (and I’m writing this with my tongue firmly in my cheek) but........


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  27. #27
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RobDad View Post
    So the tax payer gives millions to a bunch of people to play games and have a jolly good time, and win medals which are just baubles and don’t make any difference to the world apart from some kind of international bragging rights about who’s best at playing games?
    I know that sounds incredibly cynical (and I’m writing this with my tongue firmly in my cheek) but........


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    That’s right!

    Nice work if you can get it; just pop your CV in the post

  28. #28
    Grand Master thieuster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jaytip View Post
    Curious what the sport is and what level the girl competes at?
    A friend of mine has a daughter who does Judo and by all accounts is very good at it (Welsh and British teams). I asked if she gets any funding toward the cost of overseas international competitions and was told they get nothing.
    Indeed, my son's sailing ambition is paid for by my wife and myself. Easily a 5 figure amount/annually. (including 40K kms/yr with a car capable of hauling a large trailer with a RIB and dinghies). Between March and November, every weekend is spent (by me) near marinas or on a RIB. Starting Friday night and ending on Sunday afternoon. Mondays are spent cleaning and repairing the boat (my son cleans, I repair). During the wintertime, I take him to the gym because he's simply too exhausted to go home again on his bike after training.

    The next level: the pre-Olympic team members receive a monthly income that's more or less the official Dutch minimum wage. And when they 'receive' an Olympic car (Toyota), the athlete has to add 25% of the car to his income and has to pay taxes for that... Only sponsorship will get an athlete out of his misery. Vitamines, dairy products etc.

    According to the internet, the UK has a population of 65 million. A 300M GBP project according to information posted here on the foru. In 4 yrs time, the costs are about 5 GBP/4 yr... That's less than 1,20 GBP per person/annually. The price of two packets of Lay's... A small investment when a gold medal winner enthusiasts millions and gets a few couch potatoes on their feet for a new life in the gym. I'm sure there's something like the Nicole Adams-effect in the UK. The same what's going on here: last week, Dutch short track clubs received 1500 new members.

  29. #29
    Master blackal's Avatar
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    While I still believe that Olympics will inspire future generations into sport, reading the preceding posts - makes me realise that the allocation of financial resources according to the chances of winning medals - is actually, obscene.

  30. #30
    Craftsman
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    Yes just so some people can live there dream.

  31. #31
    Grand Master andrewcregan's Avatar
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    I’m looking forward to the Winter Olympics - when does it start?


  32. #32
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by kace View Post
    The bbc are taking an feed from the hosts and lost the auction for coverage to Eurosport so aren't showing as much as they have in the past (one red button choice)

    Two people talking about curling in a studio or even there in the arena is unlikely to cost that much.
    Didn't realise that, no wonder BBC Coverage was so poor. Barely even mentioned the Bobsleigh and lot's of events just got a few minutes coverage.

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