Why Are We So Good At Athletics?

[sp1814]

In the 2012 London Olympics we finished third (behind USA and China), and we are currently in exactly the same place in the Rio Olympics.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/ng-interactive/2016/aug/05/rio-olympics-2016-medal-table-and-results-in-full

Population of the USA: 318 millon
Population of China: 1.3 billion
Population of 64 million.

Great, don't you think?

[1rovert]

The Olympic and other sports personnel, get money from the lottery, NOT the EU.

The EU only Take money.

[jno]

surely the more folk in a team, all things being equal, the more chance they have of winning a medal?

TCL, it's the "all things being equal" bit that doesn't apply. Two countries might have one world-beating athlete each: if one country sends only that athlete along, while the other sends 10, it won't make any difference to the countries' successes, it just means one sent more passengers than the other.

[mikey4444]

TTT....at 17:42.....drivel.

[-Talbot-]

Mind you don't get tangled up in that web of drivel you are weaving, Jno.

[sp1814]

Good grief...we're now second in the medals table.

This is a seriously good year for Team GB.

[jno]

I really don't know what you're on about, Talbot.

sp1814's thread is about how well GB is doing in the medals table on a population basis - which is very well. I have done the same with the help of a link provided by jomifl, as well as providing an answer to sp1814's question.

You on the other hand seem deeply concerned with team sizes, which have nothing to do with the OP - why not start a thread about them youself, if it fascinates you? I'm sure it would attract wide interest.

[mikey4444]

Am I the only person that thinks that China sending only 403 athletes to Rio sounds a bit daft ?

Why don't they send more ?

[ToraToraTora]

jno it's a trait of the anti British to try and find a way to devalue our achievements, thus the inference is that we only beat china because we had a bigger team.

[-Talbot-]

The questions in the OP, Jno


Why Are We So Good At Athletics?

Great, don't you think?


Funding from the lottery, hard work and dedication. (I was joking with my first reply)
Yes it is, sp ... It is fantastic.

[mikey4444]

TTT...another load of drivel....there is no one on this thread, or AB itself, for that matter, who is anti-British.

We are all giving support to our boys and girls in Rio, and wish them all the best.

[mikey4444]

Talbot....I agree...its bloody fantastic !

[ToraToraTora]

If only that were true mikey but there are several on here who do their utmost to devalue any British achievements, always side with the enemy and talk us down when ever possible.

[mikey4444]

Even if that was true, I can't find anybody on this thread that is doing that.

Why we are doing so bloody well in Rio is down to a cocktail or reasons, one of which, and I suspect the main reason, is good funding, so that our athletes can train to the standard that is required these days to win medals at such a high level. Gone are the days when a chap could just hang his tweed sports-jacket up on a nail somewhere, go out and compete and then go back to work.

But your constant shouting out "anti-British" every few days is getting tiresome and doesn't add anything to the debate.

Why can't we all just enjoy and celebrate our wonderful boys and girls without you carping from the sidelines !

[ToraToraTora]

I always do that mikey, some on this thread however do not.

[ToraToraTora]

from this thread:
Talbot: “Money for training from the EU ... we will be crap from now on.”
Failing to realise the funding is from the Lottery and also declaring we must be “crap” without the EU – Euphile sour grapes comment

Ummmm: “I heard on TV the other day that the British especially excel at sitting down sports.” – standard stuff from Ummmm one of the regular anti British, presumably because our cigarettes are more expensive that on the continent.

Islay: managing to denigrate the entire nation at once out of some Muslimist observation, sans link.

[jim360]

Actually the "very good at sitting down sports" is basically a sarcastic joke -- and des somewhat ring true, given the amount of medals we get each Olympics from cycling, rowing and equestrianism. I didn't realise it was anti-British to have a sense of humour.

Besides which, at least part of the reason we're so good at Athletics or Olympic Sports these days is because we were so totally rubbish at them 20 years ago. Sport performance was deemed a national embarrassment that had to be sorted out. The results have been spectacular as we now dominate track and road cycling events and are competitive in places that maybe we thought would never be touched while the likes of Japan, the US and China were throwing resources at the sport (particularly in gymnastics, the latest breakthrough sport for Team GB).

But none of that would have happened had people not bothered to be "anti-British" and point out how terrible we were.