Oly: Gold medals or gunships - Oly boss

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2008
Oly: Gold medals or gunships - Oly boss

By Mike Hedge, Senior Correspondent

BEIJING, Aug 24 AAP - Australia's Olympic boss John Coates has equated funding for
elite sport to the national defence budget, saying the pursuit of gold medals is as important
as a naval frigate.

Coates said any suggestion that the funding of sport was less than worthwhile was wrong
and the benefits spread a lot further than to the 14 gold medals won in Beijing over the
past fortnight.

Estimates have put the cost of each of the Olympic titles at around $16 million, but
Coates said they were worth it, whatever they cost.

As did federal opposition leader Brendan Nelson, a member of the former government
that signed off on most of the funding.

"If anyone thinks that supporting our elite athletes isn't worthwhile, giving young
Australians the opportunity to optimise their performance to compete on the world stage
- have a look at these guys," Coates said, pointing to gold medallists Ken Wallace and
Matthew Mitcham.

"Just as in any field of endeavour, we should be giving them the opportunity to excel in sport."

The amount of money that sport deserved could be assessed against the federal defence
and health budgets, Coates said.

"I'd put it in the context of our defence budget - what it costs for a frigate," he said.

"I'd weigh it up very, very much against what we're spending on health.

"This is a way of motivating our nation, giving young people self confidence, encouraging
young people to take up sport and take greater care of their bodies."

Coates also cited economic along with wider social spinoffs as additional benefits
of a well-funded sporting sector.

And he said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd agreed.

"We are on the same page as the Federal Government, the Prime Minister understands
the importance of our Olympic team and other international teams to the reputation of
Australia," Coates said.

"He's able to reflect in the glory of it when he's overseas.

"I'm sure a lot was achieved by him here (in Beijing) by sitting behind George Bush
at the swimming and meeting with other world leaders achieved as much as at any round
table."

Mr Rudd has stated clearly his sympathy for the call for more money to ensure Australia
maintains its place in the Olympic hierarchy.

"Part of Australia's global standing lies in the fact that we have such an enormously
competitive nation on the international field of sporting endeavour...," Mr Rudd said.

"It's part of who we are as a country."

Australia has finished with 46 medals in Beijing, in line with Australian Olympic Committee
estimates and an "away" Games performance bettered only in Athens four years ago.

But Coates said more money will be needed to improve on the effort in London.

"There needs to be greater direct assistance to athletes," Coates said.

"There needs to be more funding for talent identification, for coaching, for the sports
science and medical backup and for the administration.

"If we're going to be putting a figure to government to enable us to stay in the top
five in London then the government should be ensuring that the sports have got the appropriate
management at the top to manage that money."

Coates characterised the Australian performance in Beijing to finish sixth on the medals
table as an optimum effort.

"We optimised our opportunities and we optimised our performance," he said.

Australia won medals in 14 sports, the same as in Athens, and had 136 individual medallists
in the team of 435.

On that basis, Australia placed third behind the United States with 235 and China with
147 for China.

Great Britain had 74 individual medallists.

The Australian figure was inflated by its success in team sports, which Coates said
were an integral part of Australian culture.

"I hope we don't ever get to a stage where they are not the recipients of appropriate
funding in favour of just the multi-medal sports," he said.

Coates also listed his "magic moment" from the Games.

They included the humility of rower James Tomkins; the determination of hurdles silver
medallist Sally McLellan; the courage of cyclist Anna Meares; Emma Snowsill's annihilation
of the opposition in the triathlon; pole vaulter Steve Hooker soaring to his Olympic record;
and Ken Wallace's late rush to win gold and bronze in his kayak.

He reserved special praise for Mitcham, the man who won his gold medal with the highest-scoring
dive in Olympic history.

"And the emotional highlight for me ... the poise and focus of Matthew Mitcham," Coates said.

AAP mh/mo

KEYWORD: OLY08 AUST NIGHTLEAD

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