In 365 days time Scottish residents will vote in a referendum that could change the future of the United Kingdom forever, in this post I will be exploring how Scottish independence could affect athletes both north and south of the border.
According to BBC Sport, the Scottish Sports Minister, Shona Robison believes that, should Scotland be granted independence, it could compete at the 2016 Olympics under St Andrew's Cross.
Among the criteria to receive a National Olympic Committee (NOC), is being an internationally recognised independent state, which could prove difficult to achieve within the limited time frame.
Although Robison draws parallels to Montenegro which became independent in 2006 and managed to compete in the Beijing Olympics just two years later, which proves it is possible.
However it should be noted that the referendum on independence only has the power to start discussions between in Edinburgh and Westminster over Scotland's detachment from the rest of the UK, which could postpone Scotland's sovereignty indefinitely, making it challenging for Scotland to receive a recognised NOC in time for the Rio games.
But how successful will Scotland be in the Olympics?
During the 2012 London Olympics Scottish athletes were part of teams that were responsible for winning 12 out of 65 medals for Team GB. Nevertheless only 3 medals were won by Scottish athletes competing in individual events.
In the 2010 Commonwealth games, Scotland achieve
10th place on the medal table, with 9 gold medals and 26 medals overall. I would consider this to be low for a country as developed as Scotland with a sophisticated sporting infrastructure, even with consideration to its relatively small population.
That is not even giving consideration to the cut in funding that Scottish athletes could face if Scotland does leave the United Kingdom; most athletes rely on UK Sport for funding but that funding could be withdrawn for Scottish athletes post 2014. Not to mention sponsors, who may not see financial benefits in supporting a Scottish athlete, who would be unlikely to receive media attention south of the border after the referendum.
Furthermore, Britain's greatest ever Olympian, Chris Hoy, said in May that Scottish athletes would suffer as they would be restricted from certain training venues and would not be able to train with as many experienced athletes like he did when he trained in Manchester.
In conclusion, Scottish Independence would harm Team GB due to the loss of some of the nation's best athletes from the team, while also badly endangering the dreams of potential Scottish Olympians.
The views of a young sports fan on the Issues that affect Olympic and Paralympic Sport.
Wednesday 18 September 2013
Friday 6 September 2013
Where are the 2020 Olympics going?
The IOC is just
hours away from announcing the host city of the 2020 Olympic Games, choosing
from one of Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul. While all three cities have their
individual merits, they are each faced with their own individual problems. In
this post I will be exploring these issues and which city is most likely to
win.
Madrid
The Spanish capital is bidding for third consecutive Olympic Games after losing out to the cities of London and Rio de Janeiro in which they achieved 2nd and 3rd respectively. On that basis they could continue their upward trajectory and leave Buenos Aires with the rights to host the Olympic Games. However their bid is fraught with issues that harm their potential.
The most obvious issue is that the Spanish economy is in a terrible state (when I went their last October it became apparent that striking is the national pastime), undoubtedly the budget for the games would be restricted by the recession on the Iberian Peninsula.
However it should be noted that Madrid’s bid takes advantage of the city’s existing infrastructure and sports venues which in some respects makes it the safe option for the IOC to choose.
It could be argued that the Santiago train crash in July displays a weakness in Spain’s infrastructure although I do not think that the crash will drastically change the minds of any IOC members who would have considered voting for Madrid.
Tokyo
Bookmakers consider this to be the frontrunner in the race to host the games due to its good infrastructure and compact venue plan however like their competitors they have hurdles to overcome.
The biggest issue affecting Tokyo is the Fukushima Nuclear plant, which has been leaking radioactive water, and may be contaminating water in Japan. The worse part of this is that the Tokyo bid committee keep trying to downplay this rather than showing that they are trying to deal with this. People also seem to forget that Japan sits on the boundary of three tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes which could slow down construction of venues in preparation for the games.
Istanbul
In my opinion this is the strongest bid of three, the Turkish economy is one of the fastest growing in the world and Istanbul is supported by a unique culture that sets it apart from the rest.
The Istanbul bid is hampered by high levels of doping within Turkey, which Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF, drew attention to earlier this year. To respond Turkey issued 31 2-year bans to athletes convicted of doping. In my opinion this shows that Turkey is determined to address the issues that affect sport in rather than turning a blind eye to these issues.
Earlier this year it became apparent that Turkey may not be as politically stable as was previously though amid anti-government protests, however these protests seem to be forgotten and I don’t think they will affect the outcome even though at the time of the protests I thought hope was over for Istanbul.
Overall each city has its unique charm and many are describing this as the closest race to host the Olympics in a long time however I feel confident that Istanbul will get the games, partly on the basis that they have never hosted the games before and due to economic prosperity within the Eurasian country that gives it the edge over the others.
Madrid
The Spanish capital is bidding for third consecutive Olympic Games after losing out to the cities of London and Rio de Janeiro in which they achieved 2nd and 3rd respectively. On that basis they could continue their upward trajectory and leave Buenos Aires with the rights to host the Olympic Games. However their bid is fraught with issues that harm their potential.
The most obvious issue is that the Spanish economy is in a terrible state (when I went their last October it became apparent that striking is the national pastime), undoubtedly the budget for the games would be restricted by the recession on the Iberian Peninsula.
However it should be noted that Madrid’s bid takes advantage of the city’s existing infrastructure and sports venues which in some respects makes it the safe option for the IOC to choose.
It could be argued that the Santiago train crash in July displays a weakness in Spain’s infrastructure although I do not think that the crash will drastically change the minds of any IOC members who would have considered voting for Madrid.
Tokyo
Bookmakers consider this to be the frontrunner in the race to host the games due to its good infrastructure and compact venue plan however like their competitors they have hurdles to overcome.
The biggest issue affecting Tokyo is the Fukushima Nuclear plant, which has been leaking radioactive water, and may be contaminating water in Japan. The worse part of this is that the Tokyo bid committee keep trying to downplay this rather than showing that they are trying to deal with this. People also seem to forget that Japan sits on the boundary of three tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes which could slow down construction of venues in preparation for the games.
Istanbul
In my opinion this is the strongest bid of three, the Turkish economy is one of the fastest growing in the world and Istanbul is supported by a unique culture that sets it apart from the rest.
The Istanbul bid is hampered by high levels of doping within Turkey, which Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF, drew attention to earlier this year. To respond Turkey issued 31 2-year bans to athletes convicted of doping. In my opinion this shows that Turkey is determined to address the issues that affect sport in rather than turning a blind eye to these issues.
Earlier this year it became apparent that Turkey may not be as politically stable as was previously though amid anti-government protests, however these protests seem to be forgotten and I don’t think they will affect the outcome even though at the time of the protests I thought hope was over for Istanbul.
Overall each city has its unique charm and many are describing this as the closest race to host the Olympics in a long time however I feel confident that Istanbul will get the games, partly on the basis that they have never hosted the games before and due to economic prosperity within the Eurasian country that gives it the edge over the others.
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