Thursday, August 9, 2012

School Sports' Funding - an Olympic legacy

Britain is awash with medals, and congratulations to all.  I will not pretend to know the story of each athlete, but I follow tennis with care; and I often take inspiration from Andy Murray.  It would be so easy to give up, the competition and challenge is too great; yet Murray does not, and I find in this hope for my own life.  As long as I try, really try, there is possibility.

This possibility, and the excitement of Great Britain medals, is behind the call for more school sports' funding.  We can do better and better, beat the competition; yet even if we won every gold available, the medallists would still reflect a tiny, microscopic percentage of the population.

I would suggest then; absolutely fund the elite, but do not stop there.  If we wish to make the most of sport we must look to the broader population, and the need to encourage them to exercise.  Such encouragements seemed sadly lacking in the Olympics that I experienced, perhaps best exemplified in the sponsorship by Macdonalds and other such companies.  There is nothing wrong with Macdonalds per se, yet the attention they receive is flawed if the rest of the population are simply obliged to sit and watch on.

The greatest hope I see for the capital comes from the Borris Bikes; I would add to these an endless Borris (or otherwise) walkways, pedestrians safe, prioritised and valued.  The healthy and active population this would encourage would be a true legacy.

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