Thibaut Leclaire
Jason
Kenny, three-time gold medalist in track cycling in Rio.
They
were his first victories since the 2012 London Olympics.
Team
Great Britain gave an incredible performance last summer during the
2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, ranking second in the medal
standings ahead of China and only defeated by the untouchable Team
USA. These astounding results gave rise to a heated debate between
the foreign press, which claim that English sportsmen are cheats, and
sports experts, who argue that Great Britain is deeply commited to
professional sports.
The
incredible number of medals won by Team GB fueled the controversy.
Paradoxically enough, Great Britain won 27 gold medals, three times
more than France, whereas the two countries have quite similar
populations and economies. These figures are all the more stunning
because two decades ago Great Britain only won a single gold medal
during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. So, how do the British explain this
winning streak?
In
1996, Great Britain ended the Olympics in 37th
position. Shameful for such a prestigious country, which invented
most modern sports. Hence the commitment by the British Prime
Minister at the time, John Major, to encourage the financing of
professional sports. Firstly, profits from the National Lottery went
to sports federations instead of charities. Secondly, and contrary to
other countries, Great Britain decided to reward not winners
personally but the sports federations of Olympic winners. This
strategy was an unprecedented success, and its results have become
more and more apparent. A French gold medallist earns 50,000 euros at
the Olympics whereas British winners earn nothing for themselves —
but their federation gets millions to pay for equipment and
facilities, recruit the best coaches in the world and train their
most promising sportsmen. Last but not least, the 2012 London games
enabled Great Britain to build new sports infrastructure on the one
hand, and bring together a delegation worthy of representing their
country in front of their Queen on the other. Four years later in
Rio, Team GB was able to reach unbelievable heights like the victory
of the “Eight” (the showpiece event in rowing) and Jason Kenny’s
triple gold in track cycling.
So
why are people shocked by these victories? Why are they always
accusing the winners of taking illicit substances when there is no
proof? One reason is that the mainstream media has lost confidence in
sportsmen since the discovery of Lance Armstrong’s huge fraud, and
nowadays it is not unusual to discover new cheats. In addition, some
experts are pointing to new issues connected with technological
progress. They claim that the wealthiest nations might be able to
develop new forms of “doping”, using lighter and more aerodynamic
materials that poorer nations can’t afford. Has money become the
new dope?
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