The British delegation shone at Rio 2016: they finished second in the medals table. It was an impressive achievement, 20 years after the failure of the Atlanta Olympics.
It was not easy for the UK to see another country hosting an Olympic Games it used to call its own. Four years after the London Games, the former host city was faced with a newer, more beautiful and more spectacular city.
Britain’s elbow pain was treated on a medal basis. Of the 366 athletes who took part, 130 made it to the podium, one in three, making the country a new sporting superpower.
In this way, the UK looks like a giant, but Brazil is 35 times bigger. The British population is less than a third of ours. But this small island has everything it takes to be a great role model for us.
Twenty years ago, in Atlanta, the British won just one gold medal, out of a total of 15. They finished 36th, 11 places behind Brazil. Now, out of 67 medals, 27 were gold.
There are several factors that explain the astonishing second place: the appointment of top foreign coaches as in cycling, the attention to detail – even experts control the quality of the athletes’ sleep. There was also a decline in the performance of old rivals, such as Australia and Russia.
More specific is luck. A national lottery was created to finance the sport two decades ago. Investment has jumped from R$20 million in Atlanta to over R$1 billion.
This money is managed by an independent organisation, without political appointments. The head of UK Sport explains that the spending is on training centres and elite athletes, such as Adam Peaty, who earns R$60,000 a month to dedicate himself every month. A method that does not show results loses its appeal. It has already happened with volleyball.
Critics argue that each medal costs R$20 million. But the encouragement to exercise, health and set an example is enormous. It is worth more than gold.
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