I seem to recall someone on the olympics coverage saying that in (I forget which country) they do. I have in my head that it was maybe Latvia.
Edit: maybe they all ski from a very young age there. The wife of an ex-colleague grew up in a small town in the Netherlands and she said everyone there could skate almost as soon as they could walk.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
A lot of the argument here seems to depend on whether or not you like sport. I love most sport and am happy that we invest in it, both to encourage others and for the joy I get watching it, even more so if we do well. If you dislike sport, I can understand that you might think it is all a waste of money.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
A lot of the argument here seems to depend on whether or not you like sport. I love most sport and am happy that we invest in it, both to encourage others and for the joy I get watching it, even more so if we do well. If you dislike sport, I can understand that you might think it is all a waste of money.
I absolutely hate sport. I have no objection to " sport funding" but the amount given to some, at the expense of others is simply breathtaking. I'm more of the old school, " it's no the winning,it's the taking part" I'd love to see the money spent encouraging the biggest participation possible, across all ages and abilities, and that means a better " share" of what's available.
I agree, more opportunity for more people to take part. And surely wider participation at young ages gives a better chance of spotting the talent, widening the pool if you like, not just limiting it to those whose parents could afford for them to try a sport if it's one that's not offered at school.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I don't hate sport. I walk and do my exercises now my arthritic knees have stopped me doing much else. But I was in the athletics and netball teams at school, and the town's swimming club, I played hockey (badly), was able to go canoeing with the girl guides in my home town, played badminton and had some coaching as part of my DoE award, played tennis for fun.
I feel very strongly that sport at grass roots level should be well funded to make it accessible for anyone who wants to do it. Do it. Not watch it. I hate watching sport, and I dislike the disproportionate amount of money that goes into elite sport compared to, say investing in better parks and local facilities to provide opportunities for all sorts of people to play hoops, learn to skateboard, run a little 5 a side tournament, take up wild swimming, join a park run, play tennis or go ice skating. Build dry ski slopes all over the place if you want, although I'd argue investing in sailing clubs would seem a better investment in our own local economies. I feel the elite levels of sports should either be self funded (the ones with high receipts, like football and rugby) or funded by sponsors (all the Olympic sports get absolute blanket coverage on TV). But if it is felt it is necessary and useful in this current climate of fuel and food poverty to spend millions of pounds of taxpayers money on a sport in order to get a champion, make it a sport that some kid in Frome could watch and be inspired and actually decide to have a go at. Eddie the Eagle notwithstanding.
But the reality, as Hosta has pointed out, is that encouraging participation has nothing to do with the funding choices. It's all about winning glory
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
The UKs top female snowboarder Katie Ormerod started snowboarding at 5 years old. She comes from Bradford and learnt with her family at the skiing and snowboarding centre at Halifax (Yorkshire not Nova Scotia 😂 ). The opportunities are out there.
I’m rubbish at sport … my joints don’t let me do the ones I showed any aptitude for … but I love watching a lot of sports, and my son competed for Suffolk Schools and continued playing football into his 40s.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm with pansyface. 8 ( or whatever ) running round a track. One wins, 7 lose. I'm sure they're all trained really hard , but it matters not one jot to me which is the winner and who are the losers. the only way you'd get me to watch Formula 1 is if the track was in a figure of 8. I don't mind watching rugby, or men diving
As someone involved most of my life in 'the arts', and also speaking as someone who has benefittted personally from Arts Council Lottery Funding, I'm usually having to fight my corner against folk who hate the fact that 'their lottery money' is wasted on 'the arts' https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/feb/13/uk.politicsandthearts 🤣
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
If you dislike sport, I can understand that you might think it is all a waste of money.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I'm more of the old school, " it's no the winning,it's the taking part"
I'd love to see the money spent encouraging the biggest participation possible, across all ages and abilities, and that means a better " share" of what's available.
I feel very strongly that sport at grass roots level should be well funded to make it accessible for anyone who wants to do it. Do it. Not watch it. I hate watching sport, and I dislike the disproportionate amount of money that goes into elite sport compared to, say investing in better parks and local facilities to provide opportunities for all sorts of people to play hoops, learn to skateboard, run a little 5 a side tournament, take up wild swimming, join a park run, play tennis or go ice skating. Build dry ski slopes all over the place if you want, although I'd argue investing in sailing clubs would seem a better investment in our own local economies. I feel the elite levels of sports should either be self funded (the ones with high receipts, like football and rugby) or funded by sponsors (all the Olympic sports get absolute blanket coverage on TV). But if it is felt it is necessary and useful in this current climate of fuel and food poverty to spend millions of pounds of taxpayers money on a sport in order to get a champion, make it a sport that some kid in Frome could watch and be inspired and actually decide to have a go at. Eddie the Eagle notwithstanding.
But the reality, as Hosta has pointed out, is that encouraging participation has nothing to do with the funding choices. It's all about winning glory
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
8 ( or whatever ) running round a track. One wins, 7 lose. I'm sure they're all trained really hard , but it matters not one jot to me which is the winner and who are the losers.
the only way you'd get me to watch Formula 1 is if the track was in a figure of 8.
I don't mind watching rugby, or men diving
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.