Should British Cycling forfeit winning medals in order for staff to be treated better?
IT’S been another stinker of a week for British Cycling. For an organisation that, in the aftermath of London 2012, was viewed as being unable to do any wrong, its fall from grace has been remarkable. From accusations of sexism by coaching staff towards riders to the “package” that was delivered by a British Cycling employee to Team Sky for Bradley Wiggins – of which the contents remain unidentified – to the latest accusations from UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl that British Cycling showed “a complete lack of transparency” with regards to reporting the findings of an internal review conducted in 2012, cycling’s governing body has taken something of a beating in recent months.
Amidst the claims by UK Sport that British Cycling “watered-down” its findings and the sport’s rebuttal that they or any of their staff have behaved inappropriately, one comment in particular stood out to me. In defending his former employers, Sir Dave Brailsford, the former British Cycling performance director and current general manager of Team Sky, said: “We were not sexist but we were definitely ‘medallist’.”
It is interesting phrasing. Brailsford seems to be implying that British Cycling can indeed be a harsh environment but not due to sexism. Rather, it is due to their insatiable appetite for medals. Looking in from the outside, it is hard to argue that their approach has not been working: 14 Olympic medals in 2008, 12 in 2012 and another 12 in 2016 suggests that their system of producing medalwinning athletes is close to flawless.
And this is where some of the blame must be placed – at UK Sport’s door. As long as UK Sport values medals above all else, it is leaving athletes open to being mistreated. UK Sport’s recent funding announcements highlight the all-consuming importance they place on medals and there has been more than one suggestion that as British Cycling’s medal yield was so great, UK Sport was willing to allow the organisation to operate with little outside scrutiny. British Cycling was praised to the hilt for its “no compromise” approach and it appears that none of the warning signs were picked up on by UK Sport. Any athlete who complained was accused of being bitter because the athletes who were winning gold medals weren’t complaining, were they?
Elite sport is a brutal environment – few would dispute that – but it is hard to justify treating athletes with such disregard amidst the justification of winning medals. While UK Sport should be praised for trying to improve conditions for athletes, it must also realise that, while it cares only about medals, the risk of their elite athletes being treated like dirt remains worryingly high.
AND ANOTHER THING . . .
The struggles that women’s sport faces as it attempts to bridge the gap to men’s sport in terms of profile, media coverage, sponsorship money and crowd sizes has been commented upon tirelessly. There is no doubt that gaining something approaching parity is, to say the least, challenging, but I was given considerable cause for hope this week. On Tuesday evening, I reported on the first match of Scotland’s new pro netball team, Sirens. After a year of planning and preparation, the team, which is Scotland’s first professional women’s team in any sport, made their debut in the Vitality Netball Superleague and, despite being defeated by league favourites Wasps, there was considerable cause for encouragement.
A 4000-strong sell-out crowd packed into the Emirates Arena in Glasgow to cheer the home team on, the game was live on Sky Sports and there has been considerable interest in the squad, not least from Herald Sport. What Sirens have proven is that it is possible to force women’s sport into the public’s consciousness and, with a bit of imagination, it is possible to create interest in a minority sport.
Claire Nelson, the chief executive of Netball Scotland, has been the driving force behind Sirens and there is no better example within Scottish sport of someone who has the passion, determination and brains to make things happen, even when there are considerable barriers in the way. Few would have predicted that a netball team could attract a bigger crowd than the vast majority of Scottish football teams but Nelson, who is a force of nature, has shown there is an appetite out there for women’s sport.
Too often, those in charge of minority sports spend more time moaning about their lack of profile than they spend doing something to improve it. Nelson could not be more different; she is a prime example of someone who just gets on with it and she is now reaping the benefits of her hard work. It remains to be seen if Sirens can maintain such crowds as their season progresses. Regardless of how this year pans out, Nelson and the team have proven that if commitment to change is there, it can happen.
TOMORROW Nick Rodger
It is hard to argue their approach has not been working: 38 Olympic medals since 2008 suggests their system is close to flawless