Funding blamed for low Australia medal tally

Sounds like these officials are looking for excuses and trying to save their jobs. There are plenty of nations higher up than us Aussies who receive much less funding and don't have the world-class facilities and coaching we have. Kiwis, Kazakhs, Cubans, Belarussians, Romanians and North Koreans to name a few. A great many of the Chinese kids who won gold in London - including the 16-year-old Superfish, Ye Shiwen - train in Australia (on the Gold Coast) under Aussie coaches. Those coaches say there is a secret formula the Chinese have over the Aussies: they train their butts off. No distractions, glamour, media work, twittering etc - just hard work.

We could do well to learn from them as well as the Brits who have transformed from famous sporting weaklings to superheroes! The Brit school system is producing super-fit kids who want to play sports - heck, some of them are world-class at multiple sports! - while the Aussie system spits out video-game addicted kids who have never played any competitive sport. The talent pool is dwindling. The positive thing is we can change this system within 2 Olympics and get back to world top 5 - just as the Brits have famously done.

as well as the Brits who have transformed from famous sporting weaklings

As usual, the Aussies always have some smart comment to make about the British even when they are having such a truly embarrassing Olympics. Maybe the real leaf they should be taking from the British book is to keep it schtum and concentrate on the job in hand. Maybe the Aussie Olympic management and sports ministers should save their British-sledging tongues and concentrate on 4 year plans instead.

There is no excuse for the Aussies. The climate and the facilities in Australia are world class and the sports budget as good if not better than the UK. Maybe their real problem is the constant look over their shoulder at anything with a Union Jack on it...

@ Tigers - I was giving your mob a wrap, mate, not having a pop! You - I am certain - will admit the Brits were chronic underachievers up until only a decade ago in most sports - Olympic and non-Olympic. That your nation has transformed itself is fantastic and I have nothing but admiration. Your guys have the hunger and self-belief that we were famous for not so long ago.

Certainly not having a go at Australians in general. And your swimming team still rule the Aussie-Brit rivalry. But, as I am sure you will agree, you guys should be taking the Aussie Olympic management and Aussie politicians who were more interested in sledging the Brits than investing in Australian success, and ending their careers. It started in Beijing and instead of a real Olympic plan they wanted to make accusations instead of a bit of elbow grease.

Back in 2000 Sydney Olympic, Australia won more gold medals. However it was not only because of funding issue, Referee sbiased host nation for many tournaments. For example, Taekwondo competitions. When I watched some competition, there was no physical contact by Aussie competitor. However Judge gave many generous score to host nation. Host nation has advantage for winning more medals.

Swimming is the strongest sport for Aussie. However I disagree the performance will be maximized by money. If they care only for money, they not real patriots or genuine competitors. They are just fair weather athletes. I have seen 15 years old Ruta Meilutyte of Lithunia and 16 years old Ye Shiwen's of China incredible performance. They displayed their commitment, patriotism and talent. On the contrast, Aussie swimmers are no longer in their prime. Physically they are not lean enough. They lack the passion, fire and precision. It is just new era of declining in Aussie sport. Funding may be one of the contributing factor. However it is not a major cause of the problem.

I have seen 15 years old Ruta Meilutyte of Lithunia and 16 years old Ye Shiwen's of China incredible performance. They displayed their commitment, patriotism and talent.

Don't you think that a 15 year old and a 16 year old should be at school studying for their futures? There is something seriously wrong when a country uses school children to gain Olympic success. It means that the state would have been preparing these children from the ages of 10 to 12 and groomed them for Olympic medals. At least the Aussies keep their children where they should be - in school.

Hahahaha - in the Sydney herald the aussies are claiming the kiwi's 3 golds under the Aus Zealand heading.

The Aussies have a history of claiming New Zealand successes, be it Crowded House, Phar Lap or pavlova.

Now, with Australia trailing behind their smaller trans-Tasman cousins on the Olympic Games medal table, New Zealand's three gold medals are being "embraced".

On the back page of today's Sydney's Daily Telegraph, "Aus Zealand" sits proudly at ninth place on their medal table, with four gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze medals. Of those, only one of the gold medals is actually Australia's.

Over the weekend, the Sydney Morning Herald's Richard Hinds wrote that while Australia is not living up to pre-Olympics expectations, "Team Oceania" is having a great games.

Full article with pic

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10825019

TigersTokyoDome

you guys should be taking the Aussie Olympic management and Aussie politicians who were more interested in sledging the Brits than investing in Australian success, and ending their careers. It started in Beijing and instead of a real Olympic plan they wanted to make accusations instead of a bit of elbow grease.

LOL, maybe you havent been keeping up with the news. Your British teams have been doing a fair amount of sledging yourselves. Bit of a two way street lm thinking. But then again at least our cyclists dont deliberately crash HAHAHA

BurakuminDes, agree with all you said mate.

Tigers, as usual you Poms are being sensitive and have short memories. "Keep it schtum"??? Poms? hahahaha! I guess a couple of decades in the sporting wilderness will generate those delusions. I remember not so long ago we even beat you 3-1 in football in London and a rather apt sign in the away end read "If we beat you at this you suck at everything". But there's no hiding the fact that of late the roles have been completely reversed, and not just in the Olympics. These things don't happen by accident so our hats go off to you. For sports mad Aussies this is a bitter pill to swallow but a necessary one. My advice is savour the moment and don't get too haughty about it because we will be back!

LOL, maybe you havent been keeping up with the news. Your British teams have been doing a fair amount of sledging yourselves. Bit of a two way street lm thinking. But then again at least our cyclists dont deliberately crash HAHAHA

Oh dear. As I mentioned previously. There seems to be far more effort in remembering British mistakes, than in winning something for yourself. But there again, if you don't have any real success to talk about then I guess you have to resort to others mistakes. The latest is from the French. Because the Brits are far more successful at France's national sport of cycling, the French are now questioning the wheels on British cycles. Despite the fact that the manufacturers (Mavic) are, wait for it, French...!

Let's look at the underperformance of the Aussie swim team - this is NOT because of under funding, as other posters have mentioned their program is world-class. But the Aussie swimmers themselves... Think of all the negative publicity they have got for themselves over recent months/years for things like drinking, social networking, stupid comments to media. Many in Australia treat these guys and girls like celebrities and that's what they now think they are - entitled to attention and can still be world winners without the same focus or working as hard as many of their competitors abroad. Sorry, doesn't work like that, swimming is hard work.

banz10, thanks for your Aussie sporting advice. I guess I'll keep it schtum, and go and replay the 16 gold medal highlights.

I remember not so long ago we even beat you 3-1 in football in London

9 and a half years ago to be more precise. I do believe that the sporting world has moved on since then mate.

stupid comments to media

Ha,ha,ha! I believe that the Aussie guys on here are keeping up with the tradition..!

TigersTokyoDome

Just remember, there is only one thing worse than a sore loser and that is a poor winner. And that is what it is looking like more and more from here.

I say good on the poms for their medals, they deserve them and they deserve a pat on the back. You guys performed much better than our guys did hence on more medals. End of story.

Cletus I couldn't agree more on the poor winner comments. As proud as I am of the Kiwi athletes, I still don't like the NZ public & media's almost childish glee at leading Aussie (especially as it will probably be short lived)

MrsT1 you should enjoy it , the aussies never ever think twice about sticking it up the kiwi's any chance they get and never show any mercy of gloating when they beat kiwi teams.

They derserve all the stick they get specially as they are bombing so badly, and to be honest I cant wait for the rugby to start so we can thrash them some more.

Sometimes the Australian media embarrasses me. In all honesty though I think this crop of swimmers isn't as talented or hungry as previous teams. Hopefully Sally Pearson can restore some pride for the green and gold. I couldn't bare it if Australia's little sister (nz) beat our gold medal haul. Now that would be embarrassing.

Kevan Gosper said Australian athletes had been hampered by a lack of public funds and government focus and said more money needed to be spent on top-level coaches and elite athletes.

The lack of funding has seen several Australian coaches training their competitors. Here's a quote from Ken Wood on training Chinese swimmers:

"I get paid per month, per swimmer four times more than I do with my home swimmers," Wood said from Australia after Ye qualified comfortably fastest Monday in the 200 medley heats. China pays him bonuses for Olympic gold and for swimmers' personal bests, and he also got a bonus for Ye's 200 medley world championship win in 2011.

Denis Cotterell, the coach for the Australian team has made similar arrangements with the Chinese:

"Until five years ago, my pay wasn't over $50,000. All the people I went through teacher's college with were retiring as principals and on a stack, and here you are on something that a second-year teacher would get and you're supposed to be the best in the world at what you do...The Chinese, fortunately, respect that, and are prepared to pay incentives for results."

When your coach gets paid more for having your competitors win, do you think that's not going to affect how he trains Australian swimmers?

Tigers

I guess I'll keep it schtum, and go and replay the 16 gold medal highlights.

typical juvenile retort... like I said when I praised the combined successes of your four countries, savour it

I do believe that the sporting world has moved on since then mate.

selective memory hey champ? I'd probably wanna forget the past too if I were a Pom...

Yeah thats right too the brits are combined 4 countries and these people still want to bang on about their might, how many has each of those 4 countries won?

TigersTokyoDome

Just remember, there is only one thing worse than a sore loser and that is a poor winner. And that is what it is looking like more and more from here.

Eh? Excuse me, but try reading through the history of posts after this news story pal. It all started with digs about the British having been "sporting weaklings" and ironic comments about the Brits "even being world class at multiple events". So, with 16 British golds in the bag, 1 Aussie gold hanging on someones neck somewhere apparently, and the Brits finishing above the Aussies in Beijing, I merely sought to set the actual factual record straight. Mate. If you don't like the sound of British success, then don't continue the Aussie world-class sledging. Even with that paltry single gold medal.

selective memory hey champ? I'd probably wanna forget the past too if I were a Pom...

Selective memory? You raised it pal. Nobody else here raised the 2003 football score (what does that have to do with the Olympics of 2012??) I merely reminded everyone that was 9 and a half years ago. There have been 2 Olympics since...

Lew Archie

to be honest I cant wait for the rugby to start so we can thrash them some more.

Bro, the All Blecks are a big fish in a small pond. I don't mind it but the reality is to many Aussies, and the vast majority of the world for that matter, rugby is a minor sport. However, since you've brought it up, the two successes you've had in WCs were on home soil. When you don't choke at an away WC, come and talk to me. Choice cuz.

Back on topic please.

sorry Lew, that was meant for ExportExpert

Tigerstokyodome,

No one was picking on the poms, someone made a comment praising you poms from turning mediocre performance in years past around and you took that comment as a criticism of you lot. And it wasn't, just seems you are a tad overly sensitive about comments regarding yur dismal performance in recent years. Fact is in many sports the poms had a few lean years where they were weaklings but no that's changed so good for you, your on your way up we are on our way down.

No one was picking on your nation, yu just misread it....

the All Blecks are a big fish in a small pond. I don't mind it but the reality is to many Aussies, and the vast majority of the world for that matter, rugby is a minor sport. However, since you've brought it up, the two successes you've had in WCs were on home soil. When you don't choke at an away WC, come and talk to me.

banz, I'm glad that you brought this one up, as it brings us around full circle. I do remember the 'Poms' winning something world cup-shaped in your yard, despite your barbs about the Kiwis choking in a world cup and the Poms wanting to forget the past. I'd quite like to remember the sporting past now that you have brought it up again..

Bizarre. With only 1 gold medal in the pot, you would have thought that anyone Australian would keep their heads well below the sporting parapet and keep a low profile for another 4 years. Yet all these posts?

tigerstokyodome:

Don't you think that a 15 year old and a 16 year old should be at school studying for their futures? There is something seriously wrong when a country uses school children to gain Olympic success. It means that the state would have been preparing these children from the ages of 10 to 12 and groomed them for Olympic medals. At least the Aussies keep their children where they should be - in school.

Yes, I'm sure the young Chinese athletes are all illiterate and lacking in serious education and without friends. When you look at the female gymnasts, you'll realize most of them are very young, and that includes Americans and Europeans. And Tom Daley has all been about media commitments and glamour. He's already failed in one event, although he has one more in which to redeem himself. But please stop sounding so bitter. Can you not just enjoy the games. You sound more like some of the Americans.

GB has done really really well. But when the party's over, I wonder how far their performances will plunge post-2012. Recession, bankruptcy and gloom will also be back. Who knows, the Ozzies might be back with a vengeance next time, and the Brits? I'd advise you to laugh and enjoy everything while you can.

Australia's national obsession with the Olympics leaves me a bit cold, to be honest. Spending huge amounts of money on individual athletes - who represent themselves as much as their country, to win medals every 4 years seems folly to me. Australia likes to pitch itself as the plucky little nation with a gift for sport who consistently punches above their weight in the International arena - but the truth is we spend a hell of a lot of money attempting to achieve that, and it's money we could spend elsewhere. That perception of ourselves is a skewed one. But it's funny to see how much it bites at the national psyche.

Pukey, whoah, whoah, whoah. Sounding bitter?? My post was totally to do with certain nations using kids to achieve Olympic success. Olympic success is nothing in comparison to childrens education. There should be no Olympics if we start using 15 year olds to win medals.

The Chinese take these children at the age of 7, 8, 9 away from their families to groom them for their Olympics factories. In Europe and America there are laws which protect children from these factories and anyone of school age involved in a high level of sport (Tom Daley) must spend a large percentage of time at their "local" school and with their parents. Not in China buddy.

You totally misread my post. We had a poster criticising the Aussies by promoting the 15 year old Chinese at the Olympics and I responded. You seem to want to turn this into another Brit versus Aussie sledging but if you read it correctly I was defending Aussie sport versus Chinese 15 year olds.

We had a poster criticising the Aussies by promoting the 15 year old Chinese at the Olympics and I responded.

Promoting? Which poster are you referring to? Burakumindes? If it's for supporting a hard-working athlete, then why not? How do YOU know how much schooling those non-western athletes get? Is it all just hearsay or did you actually ask the athletes? For these youngsters, it's also a way out of poverty. I don't want to get into a slanging match but I find it sad when there always needs to be something negative said when someone from a country you don't like wins fair and square.

The Chinese take these children at the age of 7, 8, 9 away from their families to groom them for their Olympics factories.

Yeah, I know, I've read all the articles on Daily Mail. Evil Chinese this, evil Chinese that.

I reckon the Aussies will still end up with 4 or 5 golds. Just got our second one today. A few events left! Can't let the Kiwis be ahead for too long.....we'll never hear the end of it! The fact that England is doing well isn't such a big surprise. The host country usually does well (though, admittedly, England was impressive at Beijing). But in the past 5 Summer Olympics (1992-2008) the Aussies have won 63 golds, England 45 and the Kiwis 11 so it's a good wake-up call for the Aussies. We need to increase our lead!

I disagree the performance will be maximized by money. If they care only for money, they not real patriots or genuine competitors. They are just fair weather athletes. I have seen 15 years old Ruta Meilutyte of Lithunia and 16 years old Ye Shiwen's of China incredible performance. They displayed their commitment, patriotism and talent. On the contrast, Aussie swimmers are no longer in their prime. Physically they are not lean enough. They lack the passion, fire and precision. It is just new era of declining in Aussie sport.

Regardless of whether a 15 year old receives a literate education and money to support their family, the Olympics should not be supporting the training of school kids to win Olympic gold medals. When that happens it's time to end the Olympics.

pukey, do you seriously believe that states who groom little kids for Olympic success give two hoots about their parents finances or the kids education. Please.

And stop twisting posts to suit your own line. I never said anything negative about Chinese success. I responded to the post above criticising the Aussies by defending 15 year old athletes.

If only the Aussies were coached by more positive countrymen such as serendipitous, then they would have sorted out their own old-fashioned failures and had a more modern approach to sporting success, rather than the boring old Aussie v Brit sledging from certain Aussie posters above.

Thanks Tigers.

Perhaps I should put my hand up for the next coaching job opening!

@exportexpert haha considering 5000 kiwis + are leaving NZ for Australia each month add to the already 500,000 already in Australia, id be more worried that there wont be any smart kiwis left in NZ since the smart ones are going to Australia to earn real money not that petty cash you call wages in NZ. LOL