With the 2012 Olympics in London looming large on the athletics calendar, focus is more and more on how Great Britain will perform. The host nation always looks to impress and Team GB will be no different as the world turns its collective gaze on our nation’s capital. That’s why the European Championships, currently being held in Barcelona, are so important.
In fairness, Team GB is doing quite well. Currently ranked third in the medals table with 11, comprising of three gold, four silver and four bronze, behind France (10 medals, 4 gold) and, predictably, Russia (19 medals, 8 gold).
A closer look at who won what in what event, however, and you get into the real story in British athletics. First of all, the men have won all but two of our medals – a bronze going to Jenny Meadows in the 800m and another to Perri Shakes-Drayton in the 400m hurdles – mainly in sprinting with a couple of medals coming in the long distance races. There has also been a bronze in the high jump for Martyn Bernard and a gold in the long jump for Phillips Idowu.
This raises the question of funding, always a bone of contention within British athletics. The money goes where success is likely, rather than where it is perhaps most needed. Some say this is sensible, some say it is counter-productive. I tend to lean towards the latter – ideally you’d invest in the areas where progress is required but this is not an ideal world and athletics is not awash with money.
In the short term – and with London 2012 very much in that category – it makes sense to back those with a chance of winning gold medals at the Olympics. At the moment that’s the runners and the men. It is a harsh but true reality. In the long term, however, it’s a potentially disastrous strategy.
The sport simply needs more money but it’s not going to get it, especially in these difficult economic times. Britain’s strength has always been on the track and it will remain that way while we chase immediate success. With little funding for field events there will be little progress and less and less athletes prepared to strive for success there, knowing full well they won’t receive backing.
What’s the harm in specialising, you could ask. It’s a fair question. The Russians have long focused on gymnastics and the like, foregoing any chance of medals on the track and they have proven to be the best in the world for decades, winning medal after medal. The Australians focus on swimming to the same success.
We battle it out with the Americans on the track and do so well. Nothing is going to change any time soon, so we may as well enjoy it and forget about the other events. In Barcelona, there is plenty of success to celebrate. Let’s just do that and stop worrying about trying to dominate in every area. It cannot be done.
