Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
Sounds like excuses to me. You realize that athletes in most countries get almost zero funding... I mean, look at a lot of these little African, Latin American, and Asian countries that seem to do well relative to their size. Many of those athletes get no support from their governments. Personally, I would love to see a level playing field where a country's wealth and ability to spend doesn't affect how many medals a country can win.
Honestly, does winning medals at the Olympics really make a big difference to the average citizen? I don't think it changes our lives at all one way or the other. For the people directly involved, maybe, but not for most of us.
Personally, I think there is a lot to be said for a country that can get past something superficial like piling up medals.
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Do you have any articles stating what countries do and don't get funding, I was under the impression that actually many countries did get funding and also payments if they medalled(sp?).
It obviously doesn't mean anything to you but sometimes I feel in a country like Canada where very few people seem to have national pride; as in I see way more people claiming they are whatever heritage their parents or grandparents were it would be nice to see everyone come together. I always get blown away when I go to the ol USA and see them waving the flag and taking national anthems serious.
I think there also would be economic benefits if we put more money into developing our athletes. Building training centers, getting athletes from other countries to train at our centers, maybe encourage kids to join sports when they see Canadians winning medals in certain areas.