ThereÂ’s been at a lot of talk among the Olympic commentators about TeamGB and the relative strength of the Beijing GB squad compared with our national efforts in previous years. Some sports betting fans might be revelling in this while others, and I include myself in this, are feeling a bit uneasy about commandeering the success won from years of effort and self-denial put in by individuals and somehow attributing it to our qualities as a nation.

Is Funding the Answer to British Olympic Gold Success?

The true spirit of the Olympics surely has its origins in the Platonic notion of the importance of the development of the body as a necessary part of personal growth. The original Olympic sports were designed to test the strength and stamina of individuals and provided an excellent standard for individuals to reach. Nothing has changed on this front and thatÂ’s whatÂ’s happening today. ItÂ’s about individual triumph and not a measure of a countryÂ’s potency.

The medals table does, however, have two useful purposes. The first is that it enables a country to justify to its electorate the amount of funding provided by the state for the development of sport. There have been a number of articles in the press recently about how increased funding, since the last Olympics, has helped the development of athletics, cycling and swimming in our country. Olympic betting enthusiasts will be forgiven for wryly thinking ‘what a surprise!’. Expect more spending after the current Olympic successes.

Team GB and the Aussie Complex

The other use for the medals table is to be able to go up to Australian acquaintances and casually say ‘I see Great Britain are number three in the table. Where’s Australia again? Oh yeah, number five. Oh well, better luck next time, tee hee’.

Just kidding, we love ‘em really.