Olympics chief blasts 'unacceptably' high number of privately educated Team GB medallists

[Thun]

Shake up sport so more state pupils can win: Olympics chief blasts 'unacceptably' high number of privately educated Team GB medallists

• Just 7% of the UK population are educated at independent institutions
  
• Yet more than half of Beijing golds were won by ex-private school pupils
  
• BOA boss Lord Moynihan: 'It is one of the worst statistics in British sport'
  

The high proportion of privately-educated Team GB medallists is ‘unacceptable’, the chairman of the British Olympic Association said yesterday.

Just 7 per cent of the population go to independent schools – but more than half of Britain’s golds in the 2008 Beijing Games were won by former private school pupils.

So far, Team GB has nine gold medallists in the 2012 Games. Four were privately educated, and a fifth went to school in Germany.

BOA chief Lord Moynihan, himself a former public schoolboy, called for an overhaul of school sport policy to provide more chances for state pupils.

‘It’s one of the worst statistics in British sport,’ he claimed.

‘It is wholly unacceptable that over 50 per cent of our medallists in Beijing came from the private sector.

‘It tells you that 50 per cent of the medals came from 7 per cent of the population.

‘There is so much talent out there in the 93 per cent that should be identified and developed. That has got to be a priority for future sports policy.

‘I have spoken about it many times and I will continue to speak about it until there is not breath left in me.’

The Conservative peer continued: ‘The balance of professional football is that around 7 per cent of players come from the private sector, which is an absolute mirror image of society.

‘That should be the case in every single sport, and that should be the priority in each and every sport, and that is something that every government should strive for.’

At the previous Olympics, a third of Team GB went to independent schools.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2182896/London-Olympics-2012-BOA-chief-blasts-unacceptably-high-number-privately-educated-Team-GB-medallists.html

We wonder why we dont get more medals and this is the reason due to toffee nose people mostly taking part when we have much more better talent but these people are never given the opportunity

See this time ago that we was failing as they make young people pay stupid prices to take part in certain sports were as in other countrys they provide facilities for free or at a reasonable p

When watching these Olympics you could see most of the participants so far are these toffee nose types who had the money and parents who would take them to these after school activities

Dont know why years ago when I noticed it those higher up did not clock we will have a nation of losers and will f*ck up chances in certain sports and now we will pay for it for years to come

[The Somalian]

Similar situation in Tennis and Motor Sports just one of them things

[RaiKkoNen]

How does Tennis require you to be upper class?

If you start from a young age, most academies charge like £20-£30 fortnightly. You're right on the Motorsports front though.

Leaveitbrav.

[Thun]

Dont see any free tennis courts in London

You have to pay to use them in most cases

[The Somalian]

I was watching a documentary on child tennis player’s and my opinions on the subject come from that and a few people I went primary school with. yes there are a few courts around like in my local park we have 4 which are free to the public. But when it comes to actual coaching parents are paying silly money. When I was kicking ball as a kid Leyton Orient ran a youth scheme (Arsenal now do it in my area) you will pay 50p for a session and that training from a professional coach. I know for a fact no Tennis coach is going to come to Hackney and charge 50p for coaching sessions. Until there is a massive revamp Britain prob wont get to many top Tennis players because no doubt the guys and girls from the estates have the potential to be Tennis stars also. In primary school I went to a school with a quite a few ‘’Middle Class children’’ who were trained privately by Tennis coaches paid by their parents. I then went to a more working class secondary school I don’t think I had one tennis session ever maybe the odd badminton game.

[Mongy]

Also PE not being compulsary in schools has an effect.

Yet at the same time, the government complain about British obesity being on the rise.

[Kurtis]

didnt really hear anyone complaining in school that they couldnt do rowing

everyone wanted to be a footballer

[Da Luv Doc]

This "legacy" is and will be a load of crap.

[R1.]

didnt really hear anyone complaining in school that they couldnt do rowing

everyone wanted to be a footballer

Trus me every time we did P.E every man wanted to play football

[Drift]

if you look at the sports that gb has entered this shouldnt be a surprise. bare expensive, old boy games.

when they were interviewing the equestrian team that won the silver, i couldnt stop creasing. the toffiest toffs ive ever seen.

[Supermalt]

if you look at the sports that gb has entered this shouldnt be a surprise. bare expensive, old boy games.