Vanessa-Mae

Perhaps the press need to take heed of the example set by Dario Cologna in the 15k classic. Dario waited over 30 minutes after winning a hard fought race (in 38 mins) to congratulate a 43 year old Peruvian skier on finishing. Very touching I thought, and Dario has certainly gained one new fan here.

Me too, FQ. Sportsmanship ranks above all else.

I thought the Olympic ethos was not just about the winning but also the taking part.
Whilst I appreciate that in certain events where there are particular safety issues like ski jumping it may be reasonable to have proof that an entrant has the experience to compete without undue risk to themselves - the IOC made fools of themselves with Eddie the Eagle - whilst he was not going to win he was adequately trained, yet the IOC rigged it to prevent a repetition of the plucky no-hoper grabbing the spotlight.

Much harder to do with skiing - even a relative novice can get down the runs slowly.

It is a shame that Britain turned down entry opportunities they could perhaps have used to encourage future participants. Would Vanessa May have got one of those slots if Britain had used them - probably not as there may well be a number of better British Women skiers. But well done her for flying the flag for Thailand.

Admin wrote:

There is much discussion of this elsewhere, with the inescapable conclusion that our athletes are likely to be better off a) moving to other countries and b) choosing to represent anyone-but-Britain as their best chance of selection.

Perfect example of choosing not to support athletes with medal potential. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579389243585521738?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304899704579389243585521738.html

andymol2 wrote:I thought the Olympic ethos was not just about the winning but also the taking part.

The ethos of the modern Olympics:
The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

Personally I don't have any problem with the BOA having stringent qualification standards and excluding those that don't meet them. I see little point in athletes being there just to make up the numbers.

The saying 'it's not the winning but the taking part' is not the correct interpretation, 'it's not the winning but the competition that matters', is more accurate.