20 years on from the Atlanta games, what's changed?

[Lenny Rider]

Our medal total that year was 1 gold, 8 silvers and 6 bronze.

20 years on Team GB are light years away.

Is the vast improvement down to lottery funding, a golden generation across a number of sports or the fact that a number of countries are having the same lull we did in 1996?

 

[cirC]

The Russians have to a large degree have been banned.More medals to share for those not on drugs!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Lottery funding, so facilities can be built, and athletes devote full time to training.

 

[tigertim68]

its all down to the lottery funding . We now employ top coaches , all our athletes are professional , we have great training facilities ,all the above leads to success

 

[studio150]

Break up of the Soviet block and the end of (other than Russia) state sponsored athletes and drug programmes

 

[lawros left foot]

The success now is down to Brexit, apparently

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Lottery funding, so facilities can be built, and athletes devote full time to training.

This, 100%, the funding made better facilities, facilities made better sports people, and that attarcts corporate sponsorship. When you look at Jessica Ennis Hill with personal net worth estimated at £4m you can see what the sposts are now attracting, but I don't think JEH went into this for fame or wealth.

 

[FIVESTEPS]

British cycling because of Lottery funding is a professional organisation.On Radio 5 yesterday it was said that other countries are way behind,America for example has only one full time official.

 

[ManOfSussex]

Lottery funding and targeting sports we can medal in. A cursory glance at at the UK sport website shows what sports get what funding - https://www.uksport.gov.uk/sports/olympic?pg=3

I'd hazard a guess more people in this country play basketball on a regular basis than do Skeleton bobsleigh though, and Basketball gets zilch, but I'm sure Lizzy Yarnold is an inspiration to all those in our inner cities.................................

 

[OzMike]

All, or most of the druggies are not competing.

 

[Hastings gull]

This, 100%, the funding made better facilities, facilities made better sports people, and that attarcts corporate sponsorship. When you look at Jessica Ennis Hill with personal net worth estimated at £4m you can see what the sposts are now attracting, but I don't think JEH went into this for fame or wealth.

Yes, the lottery funding has helped greatly and is singularly the most important reason; the talent was always there potentially, but the comparatively poor facilities always hampered our athletes. I can still recall many years ago watching a budding high jumper having to train in the garden after work using lighting from the parents' car lights! An extreme example, possibly, but it shows that we were way behind the East Block, who saw it in political terms -more gold medals gave the regimes what they hoped would be a much-needed boost. As another post said, the fall of communism has also helped us fill the vacuum. It is truly refreshing to see the happy faces, when success comes their way after so much hard work. Long may it continue.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Yes, the lottery funding has helped greatly and is singularly the most important reason; the talent was always there potentially, but the comparatively poor facilities always hampered our athletes. I can still recall many years ago watching a budding high jumper having to train in the garden after work using lighting from the parents' car lights! An extreme example, possibly, but it shows that we were way behind the East Block, who saw it in political terms -more gold medals gave the regimes what they hoped would be a much-needed boost. As another post said, the fall of communism has also helped us fill the vacuum. It is truly refreshing to see the happy faces, when success comes their way after so much hard work. Long may it continue.

I don't really get the Eastern Block bit as we've left other nations in our wake, i.e. France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Japan, Spain, .... China!!

 

[Hillian1]

We have better drugs now that can't be detected.

 

[Randsta]

Nothing changed in Atlanta ....still lots of black people shot by the police ...#Blacklivesmatter

 

[fat old seagull]

Absolutely it's the lottery funding, what were once amateur athletes training in out of work time. Are now well paid professionals with fabulous facilities and coaches.....long may it reign, and I'll try to consider that when I'm groaning in misery every Wednesday and Saturday evening.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Yes, the lottery funding has helped greatly and is singularly the most important reason; the talent was always there potentially, but the comparatively poor facilities always hampered our athletes. I can still recall many years ago watching a budding high jumper having to train in the garden after work using lighting from the parents' car lights! An extreme example, possibly, but it shows that we were way behind the East Block, who saw it in political terms -more gold medals gave the regimes what they hoped would be a much-needed boost. As another post said, the fall of communism has also helped us fill the vacuum. It is truly refreshing to see the happy faces, when success comes their way after so much hard work. Long may it continue.

Years ago, the limited success we had was purely down to a very talented sportsperson, here or there. The bulk of the medals often came in track and field. Four golds in Tokyo, the Coe/Ovett/Thompson era etc. There was the odd shooting, swimming, equestrian medal but that was about it. In 1960, a long distance walker called Don Thompson trained in his steam filled bathroom to try and replicate the humidity of Rome. David Hemery trained in the States off his own back, learned new ideas and smashed the 400m hurdles world record but by and large, the lack of funding and facilities generally produced meagre results.
The one sport that kick started this country into a different mindset was rowing. The governing body brought in Jurgen Groebbler, a world class coach, who transformed the whole sport from within and in next to no time, we were winning medals and many kids, previously unattracted to rowing or ignorant of it, were begging their parents to take them down to the local club.
Cycling followed suit and now we dominate the world`in both sports. More funding + top class coaches + better facilities = success. Success results in lots more kids want to take up the sports we are doing well in and you have the raw material to work with. Its a numbers game. The more kids interested in sport, the more the chance of unearthing the special ones. It has a snowball effect. Bjorn Borg resulted in lots of Swedes taking up tennis. Usain Bolt has ensured that Jamaica will produce top sprinters for decades to come.

 

[Diego Napier]

Brexit obviously.

 

[Medwayseagull]

Absolutely it's the lottery funding, what were once amateur athletes training in out of work time. Are now well paid professionals with fabulous facilities and coaches.....long may it reign, and I'll try to consider that when I'm groaning in misery every Wednesday and Saturday evening.

If it has come to groaning I would give up playing with the balls.

 

[Taybha]

The Sports Bra

 

[Captain Sensible]

All, or most of the druggies are not competing.

Dream on