Australia’s Olympic funding in the firing line
AUSTRALIA’S ruthless Olympic funding model is set to be put under heavy scrutiny in Rio following claims it is killing the growth of smaller sports.
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AUSTRALIA’S ruthless Olympic funding model is set to be put under heavy scrutiny in Rio following claims it is killing the growth of smaller sports.
The wash-up of Australia’s disappointing haul of eight gold medals in London in 2012 prompted the Australian Sports Commission to unveil a new funding model shamelessly targeting athletes likely to win Olympic or world championship medals.
The big medal-winning sports such as swimming and cycling were well rewarded as more than $250 million was split between all sports.
Called Winning Edge, it tracked the progress of key athletes on and off the field as part of plan to storm into the top five on the medal table, an achievement Australia has managed just five times in its history.
While athlete-specific funding may have helped the bigger sports, former Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Russell Mark senses that it is impractical for smaller sports where more diverse funding is needed to keep the sports alive.
“Winning Edge does need to deliver in Rio,’’ Mark said.
“For sports like shooting it has hurt us because we will not improve in Tokyo (2020) on what we do in Rio because our talent pool is small and getting smaller.
“The Winning Edge selection policy was so selective it took so many people out of the sport.
“Winning Edge does not look after grassroots sport. If the bottom of your pyramid is fading it’s only a matter of time before the pyramid falls over.’’
Australia is tipped to double its gold haul from London to Rio so the pressure will ease if the pundits are right.
“Winning Edge has set a target of finishing fifth in the medals which is probably a bit high and I don’t think you could say that even sixth or seventh is not a very solid performance,’’ Mark said.
“But if it is lower than that I think there will be some be very nervous people.’’
Great Britain used a model similar to Winning Edge to boost its medal haul in London though it is expecting a dip in fortunes in Rio.
Originally published as Australia’s Olympic funding in the firing line
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