Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
No he isn't.
Conlan was right. Two dodgy decisions- the other bout was as bad- and both the beneficiaries were Russian.
I smell a rat. And it's called Vladimir.
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Rio Olympics 2016 discussion
- Thread starter Harbornite
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No he isn't.
Conlan was right. Two dodgy decisions- the other bout was as bad- and both the beneficiaries were Russian.
I smell a rat. And it's called Vladimir.
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R
RailUK Forums
It seems like the four US swimmers in the 'muggate' affair have admitted that they vandalised a toilet and were 'asked' for compensation (with the aid of a gun) by the owner. The US Olympic Association has apologised.
See here:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37127499
The American press aren't impressed with his behaviour so expect his TV contract to be dropped asap.
See here:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37127499
The American press aren't impressed with his behaviour so expect his TV contract to be dropped asap.
Spoof news, but still apt
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/...s-been-spent-on-cycling-medals-20160818112543
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/...s-been-spent-on-cycling-medals-20160818112543
That was yesterday (in Brazil at least)!
Do people see the money invested in UK elite sport as worth it on the success?
It's reported these elite sports have £350m for the 2013-17 period of funding. I feel it is a good spend if it inspires people to get out and try something themselves.
ExRes
Established Member
I see that Jimmy Feigen, the one US swimmer who didn't manage to get out of Brazil, has agreed to pay $11000 to a Brazilian charity to 'settle' his involvement in the 'robbery'
Meanwhile in seems that 280000 tickets were given away free for local children to attend the Games free, less than half were used ......
Meanwhile in seems that 280000 tickets were given away free for local children to attend the Games free, less than half were used ......
I wonder if they gave away the tickets internationally, will they go...?
ExRes
Established Member
I'm not 100% sure what you mean by that, if they gave away 280000 tickets internationally then of course many would be unused, if they gave 2800 of them to Aberdeen or Cairo schoolkids then no, I very much doubt that they would be used, mainly because of the air fares
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Paying for Laura Trott et al to train full-time may or may not be good value for money, it depends on whether you think Olympic medals are worth state funding.
But let's not insult our intelligence by claiming the Lottery paying for Trott and Kenny to train full time is worth it because of "legacy" or "inspiration". It isn't. It's about national pride. Whether that's worth paying for is a matter of opinion.
Mo Farah running fast isn't going to get someone out to do a sofa-to-5k. And, even if he does, the fact he's British won't make much difference. People are just as inspired by, say, Usain Bolt, and we didn't have to pay a penny for him. The joy of the Olympics is that there'll always be a gold medal winner. Their nationality is just about national pride, which is very different to inspiration.
My view is that it is a waste of money. £350m is a lot of money, money which could be spent on safeguarding council leisure facilities. I took my daughter swimming this last weekend and it cost me £11. The pool where Newcastle swimming club trained closed down a few years ago, and is now standing derelict in the city centre. That is the biggest hindrance to sports participation, not how many gold baubles the Olympians win.
Butts
Veteran Member
That was yesterday (in Brazil at least)!
Do people see the money invested in UK elite sport as worth it on the success?
It's reported these elite sports have £350m for the 2013-17 period of funding. I feel it is a good spend if it inspires people to get out and try something themselves.
I think it is money well spent, £350M is chicken feed compared to Football Revenues. The most pleasing success to me comes from the relative unknowns achieiving success such as the male gymnast who came from nowhere to 2 Golds.
Lottery Money well spent
In my view Olympics and World Cups should only be held in European, North American and Australasian venues.
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£11, are there concessions for OAP's , unemployed etc ? . Do you think it should be free ?
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
£11 for one adult and one 6-year-old to go swimming for 90 minutes is a lot of money.
I actually think child swimming should be free. It's cheaper than dealing with childhood obesity.
The "legacy" of a habit of regular exercise would be a damn sight more than the short five-minute buzz you get watching someone win a gold-coloured bauble.
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My local pool is £4.70 with no child reductions.
However they offer a monthly unlimited pass for £24 a month for just swimming or £36 a month for use of all sports facilities- they have a gym, pool, squash, tennis and a sports hall for whatever takes your fancy.
I use the pool maybe once a week and gym 2-3 times a week so a good value pass for me at £36.(the gym is £6 a visit if pay as you go, unsure of the other facilities I don't use)
DarloRich
Veteran Member
but there seems to be evidence that success does get people off the sofa, even if it is just buying a bike for short rides or going for a waddle along the canal. Gymnastic clubs have been swapped by people wanting to join after our success. it will be the same with taekwondo etc.
BTW do you mean the pool by the city hall in Newcastle? Not the Turkish bath surely! Are Fenham and Heaton baths still open?
Bloody Olympians!
One thing that many athletes do is to actively promote and encourage participation, not just passively as you have stated. This becomes much easier when they are full time athletes. I completely disagree with you that funding elite sport training is a waste of money. There's lots of benefits, including providing training facilities that benefit local communities and increased participation in sports (this has been demonstrated).
Although I would agree with you that subsidising access to sport is a valuable use of money. A scheme like the free swimming for children idea would be a brilliant idea.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
City Pool in Newcastle closed in 2013 (what was that about an Olympic legacy?), although there are plans to reopen it under the control of a private charity after a refurbishment in 2018.
Fenham Pool closed in 2003, although it reopened in 2005 as a community charity run pool.
Heaton Pool closed, although that and Byker pool was replaced by East End Pool in Byker in the early 2000s, which is operated by a private charity, alongside West End Pool in West Denton.
Elswick Pool closed in 2015 (what was that about an Olympic legacy?)
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If you are serious about cutting childhood obesity then change how kids do their everyday travel. In Britain, kids typically go to school by car or bus. In the Netherlands it is by bike. In Britain, kids visit their friends in the evening or weekend by their parents ferrying them around by car. In the Netherlands, kids can cycle by themselves.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
Christ! I have swum in all of those. The Turkish bath was fantastic.
Part of the high bike riding rates in the Netherlands is due to its flat landscape. The generally mountainous landscape of Britain discourages many people to take up cycling as a daily commute.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
I don't just think elite athletes sit on their backside, and I don't begrudge them the funding they get. I'm just not convinced that a hatful of gold medals once every four years is quite worth a £100m a year outlay, although I also understand that £100m doesn't really go very far these days.
I think the problem is that the enhanced training facilities often don't exist. The facilities we have in the north east are mostly because of funding put in by Durham and Northumbria Universities. And that limits access to the facilities for the general public, although both universities are actually very good at letting local sports teams use their facilities.
We had free swimming for children and the elderly, it was brought in by Labour in 2008 specifically as part of the Olympic bid. It was abolished in 2012 (what was that about an Olympic legacy?).
DarloRich
Veteran Member
and the good segregation between car and bike. In MK we are lucky with our red way network. I am not sure about other UK towns and cities.
Generally mountainous? Most people live below 150 metres above sea level. Bikes have gears to get you up hills. Kids should be fit enough to get up hills on a bike with gears. Before mass car usage, British people cycled more than the Dutch do now.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
That's really the crux of it. We don't do cycling infrastructure properly in the UK, not consistently anyway, and so people perceive cycling as unsafe. If it's unsafe they're not going to do it and they're certainly not going to let their kids do it.
I wouldn't say I was a fit or a fast cyclist- 20-25 miles is about my limit, and I hate hills- but I am confident on the bike. And there's parts of this city that even I get nervous riding through, because of how bad the road layout is. It makes me think twice about riding in to work, although I still do sometimes, and my employer has a staff shower that we can use.
Newcastle is actually an OK city for cycling in- the council at least try- but the infrastructure is still poor. Off-road cycle paths tend to be mixed use, meaning you can't ride at any sort of speed because of the pedestrians. And the rest of the time it's an on-road lane, shoved in the gutter, with the usual issues around aggressive drivers and potholes that that brings.
ETA: This is an excellent example of what I mean about crappy infrastructure. This is at the end of a nice wide gentle downhill road. The "mixed use cycle path" sign is helpful and clear...and right at the top of a flight of stairs which lead down to a dual carriageway.
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Are the majority of kids in MK cycling to school? Like the Netherlands there is segregation in MK but unlike the Netherlands the paths are mostly away from houses with lots of underpasses and so not many people are about so whilst they are safe from motor traffic they don't feel as "socially safe" compared to the generally street level paths in the Netherlands.
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I meant hilly roads. Let's be honest, a hill is enough to turn many people away from cycling. The British cycled more than the Dutch, but that was short lived and came way before the 'car takeover'.
Tell me then, how would you get every kid in Britain to take up cycling?
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If you are really worried about hills, get an electric bike. Electric bikes make hills irrelevant. Bizarrely electric bikes are still largely unknown in the UK but are hugely popular in the Netherlands despite the lack of hills.
The overwhelming reason why there is little cycling is the poor infrastructure. Dutch cycling was also falling fast until the 70s because of the lack of infrastructure but then they decided to build segregated paths.
There is simply a lack of investment. It is typically British to make excuses why things can't be done but still pretend how everything is great and getting even better. Despite the lack of investment, the British keep going on about how "cycling is booming" when the evidence clearly shows Britain having a particularly low level of cycling than even genuinely mountainous countries.
There's an age requirement to electric cycling (14) so not very accessible to all. You also have to consider the extra maintenance of these bikes as well as disposure of the batteries when it comes to the end of its life.
I agree, there is a lack of investment in cycling infrastructure but the problem is, that the demand is not there. Many people are already used to commuting by car or train, and in some cases, walking and taking the bus but when they stack up, the percentage of people who bike is pretty low. There is already the social stigma that cycling is a dangerous sport to take up with scare stories going about car to bike fatalities passed around, it could probably take a few generations to start encouraging people to cycle to the shop, let alone to work.
You could say, 'build the cycle paths and they will come', but the thing is, will they come?
Butts
Veteran Member
They have already "come" but unfortunately mistake pavements for cycle paths :roll:
Surely, that's the fault of lack of cycle infrastructure?
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
That requires safe cycle routes. A lot of kids cycle around MK alone, because they can do so safely on the almost Dutch style Redways.
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