£350 Mln Support From The Lottery As To Rio

[DTCwordfan]

16 gold (+1 bagged but not yet booked), 16 silver and 8 bronze. There may be some more to come....however, 7 to 10 mln a medal, is the Lottery sponsorship worth it?

The Paralolympics is in deep doodoo, a meeting today to who can fund 50+nations to come to Rio, as they can't afford it.......Is the financing of all of this OTT and worth it?

[jno]

they only fund sports that are likely to win Olympic gold medals; not much for basketball, for instance, though that could be potentially played by many more people. The only interest is in funding the elite, not the grassroots.

The downside of funding opera is that like many things it's basically London. The Bede's World museum in Jarrow closed because of lack of funding; the V&A sucks in the photo collection formerly held in Bradford; meanwhile money pours into London. So I'm with you on that one. No money for anything in London, even if they like to call themselves "National".

[Gromit]

// The only interest is in funding the elite, not the grassroots. //

That is actually rubbish. They spent £10 million building a velodrome in Manchester when cycling wasn't such an attractive event. The reason we are winning medals now is because that facility was built a generation ago. The velodrome is used by thousands of athletes and members of the public every week. It is hugely beneficial to the grassroots.

[jno]

that's kind of my point. It was built back in the ?1990s before the current programme, focused solely on Olympic medals, began. It is, I think, the product of a more inclusive age, and it's proved fruitful; but I doubt it would have been built with lotto money now if cycling was still where it was then.

[Gromit]

Wrong again jno. The velodrome and other facilities were commissioned by Manchester Labour Council to boost their bid for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games Stadium was another City Council project that has been a great success. It is now the home of Manchester City Football Club and is earning the Council £millions in rental fees.

// The Manchester Velodrome was developed as a joint venture between Sport England, Manchester City Council and British Cycling, who recognised the need for an Olympic-standard facility in the United Kingdom to improve British track cycling. Funding was provided by the Government, through the Department of the Environment (£6.5m), the Sports Council (£2m) and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts (£1m). Manchester City Council is the freehold owner and the centre is managed by The Velodrome Trust. The Velodrome was dismissed by some as a potential white elephant prior to opening - concerns that were later unfounded with the facility well used by the public and a key part of Britain's ascension to the top of track cycling. //

[jno]

I don't claim to know Manchester, but Wikipedia says it was opened in 1994, which was well before the Commonwealth Games bid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Velodrome

Did they extend it or something later?

[mallyh]

I should imagine all the beauty within is a disappointment when all the paddings gone lol x

[mallyh]

oops wrong thread lol

[jno]

actually, I suppose 1994 would be about right for the 2002 bid. However, it was still before the funding regime became so tightly focused on medal prospects.