These days, so often does the media focus on the benefits of hosting the Olympics, the economic boost, the infrastructure benefits, that the true focus of the Games can get lost. They would rather discuss the economic losses of postponing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics than the disruption to the carefully planned training schedule of the 15,000 athletes due to be competing. But the Olympics itself is so much more than this.
It is the Olympians that are so impressive to both the average person and those in amateur sport- and where the true impact of the Olympics originates. Particularly in younger age groups, watching these athletes competing and succeeding on the global stage is inspiring. It encourages them to get involved in sport themselves, to the extent that studies have been completed on the impacts of sporting uptake after the Olympics; the 2008 Beijing Olympics contributed to an increase of several thousands of rowers in Canada (from Sport Participation in Host Countries before and after the Olympic Games: Do the Games Change Something?). The sense of community and the bonds built by being part of crew cannot be replicated and will impact athletes across the country beyond their lives in sport.
The International Olympic Committee set out this positive legacy of trickle-down sporting influence as a primary target of the Games, recognising that we should not get swept up in the politics of it. In pushing this initiative the politics surrounding rowing, the accusations it is ‘elitist’ and exclusive, have arguably been exposed as nothing more than that.
From 1984, Sir Steve Redgrave has been the poster boy for British Rowing, and his influence in the diversifying of the sport as a result of his successes at the Olympics can only be congratulated. For whatever reason, outside of the Olympics rowing is widely passed up by sporting commentators, and so these quadrennial games are the most effective way of communicating all our sport has to offer to those non-rowers.
After it was announced London had secured the 2012 Olympics, Redgrave got behind the ‘Sporting Giants’ scheme. As a direct product of the impending Olympics, this scheme encouraged more than 4000 people to apply for this opportunity, perhaps poetically the most successful of which were Helen Glover and Vicki Thornley. The resounding success of this scheme specifically within rowing served to greatly improve public opinion of the diversity issues it was perceived to have, all as a result of the Games.
Looking at rowing as a sport, the scrutiny received at the Olympics is perfect for our image problem. It makes rowing look elitist in terms of the selection of athletes and the quality of these individuals rather than it being an inaccessible discipline and elitist based on other factors, which is something to be proud of. It also draws attention to the lower profile clubs where these Olympians were learning to row, further opening our doors to aspiring locals and motivating these clubs’ current protégés.
It also starts conversations about funding programs, which as much as we would like to ignore it, are vital for the international success of our sport. The National Lottery’s UK Sport scheme provides the funding for the Olympic and Paralympic teams, a scheme almost entirely reliant on the public’s generosity- and what better opportunity to encourage this involvement than showcasing our talents on the international stage?
Of course the individual athletes play the central role in achieving these successes, but the scrutiny that they’re put under at this event is unimaginable. Not only are they holding the expectations of their country on their shoulders, but everything from the way they style their hair to what they eat for breakfast is commented on by the media and the nation.
But what is most important is how they row their race, play their match, or perform their routine, because this is what ultimately will be judged the hardest by those looking up to them as role models and the general public. Whilst the superficial aspects of international media attention play a part in this, sportsmen and -women alike value their performances as an athlete the most. Certainly for me this is the biggest take away from the Olympics, the admiration felt for these people and their dedication to their sport.
So whilst the media likes to draw the attention away from the individual athletes, the Olympics is still highly influential in the effects it has on sportsmen and -women around the world. Enthused by schemes like ‘Sporting Giants’, it encourages people of all ages and ability to get involved in sport in one way or another. The scrutiny it provides is vital for this too, in removing the stigmas around sports like rowing and breaking down these barriers, a wide range of prospective athletes can achieve their goals. It provides the world with role models to look up to both from a sporting perspective, but also in the wider society, their motivation and dedication to the cause applicable to almost anything.
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