Funding boss eyes up ‘hard calls’

An early target of 16-plus New Zealand Olympic medals in Tokyo is already set for review, as anxious moments loom for sports deemed unlikely to reach the podium in 2020.

High Performance Sport NZ chief executive Alex Baumann is back from Rio and very happy with the 18-medal haul which exceeded the target by four, as tough funding decisions loom over the next four months.

Athletics looks certain to be the big winner, with a likely elevation to tier one status alongside rowing, cycling and yachting when the next round of HPSNZ funding is confirmed just before Christmas. Meanwhile, swimming ($5.6 million core funding over the past four years) and triathlon ($5.3m) will be nervous after neither threatened the dais.

HPSNZ set a target of 14 medals for Rio four years ago, and had already inked in 16-plus for Tokyo before this past successful fortnight, which reaped five more medals than New Zealand’s best haul.

‘‘When we make the investment decisions in December we probably have to revisit that [Tokyo target]. But at some point in time we’re going to plateau, we’re not going to keep increasing,’’ Baumann said. ‘‘In Beijing we got nine, in London we got 13 and then 18 here. It’s unrealistic to keep increasing the medal haul but I don’t think we’ve quite reached our potential yet.’’

Sustainability isn’t the most exciting

‘‘What pleased us most was that nine sports won medals and there was a good balance between veterans and also some new, young athletes – Alex Maloney, Molly Meech, Sam Meech and Eliza Mccartney – which bodes well for the future.’’ High Performance Sport NZ chief executive Alex Baumann

word but it’s a key one as HPSNZ looks to the future and which youngsters will produce the medals in four or eight years’ time. The 19-year-old pole vaulter Eliza Mccartney was one who didn’t feature highly in the medal predictions for Rio.

‘‘What pleased us most was that nine sports won medals and there was a good balance between veterans and also some new, young athletes – Alex Maloney, Molly Meech, Sam Meech and Eliza Mccartney – which bodes well for the future,’’ Baumann said.

‘‘It was an incredible performance by athletics to get four medals. I saw the comparisons and Australia only got two, in the walks. We thought Eliza was a finalist and a good chance in 2020 but to come up with the bronze was fantastic.’’

Baumann also noted nine fourth placings, notably the equestrian team who were in medal contention along with Mark Todd in the individual eventing before a disastrous final day.

‘‘We did miss some opportunities but that’s part of the Olympic Games.’’

Sports now conduct their post-olympic debriefs then meet HPSNZ before the funding decisions are made.

Of the tier one sports rowing ($19.8 million core funding) and cycling ($17.5 million) underperformed on the medal front while yachting ($12.45 million) exceeded expectations along with athletics (top of the tier two sports with $8.325 million).

Rowing targeted five medals and delivered three, cycling targeted four and delivered one, and yachting targeted two and delivered four, joining athletics as New Zealand’s equal most-successful on Rio medals won.

Baumann wasn’t about to take aim at the big two, rowing and cycling, till the debrief was complete.

On rowing: ‘‘They’ll be disappointed. Based on 2015 world championships they were certainly heading for the five or six [medals].

‘‘Whether it was the Rio environment, the athlete village, I would just be guessing.’’

On cycling: ‘‘They got three fourths as

well [men’s and women’s team pursuit and Lauren Ellis in the omnium]. The UK just blitzed everybody, and obviously they take the approach that every four years the Olympics are the only competition that matters. Maybe we need to look at that.’’

No swimmers made finals and their only medal hope Lauren Boyle spoke of being hampered by injury and illness. Corey Main and Bradlee Ashby swam personal

bests but funding cuts seem inevitable, even if former Olympic swimmer Baumann believes the programme is heading in the right direction.

‘‘What they have to demonstrate is the potential for 2020,’’ Baumann said.

HPSNZ looks at four key criteria when dishing out core funding for Olympic sports for the next four years: results from Rio; future potential for 2020 medals; quality of the high performance campaign

(coaching, structure, facilities, daily training environment) and the context of the sport (some are more expensive than others).

‘‘We will have to make some hard calls and there will be winners and losers.

‘‘There will be a re-divvying of the pie. Some sports we need to go a little bit deeper into the system so we’re more sustainable so we get to a stage where we don’t go below 12-14 medals.’’