Lottery funding the key to athletic success Douglas

Make text smaller Make text larger

Bermuda track legend Troy Douglas has outlined the importance of elite athlete funding and believes lottery grants were the key behind the Netherlands’ Olympic success.

The Dutch finished an impressive 13th in the medal table and Douglas, who has worked for the Netherlands Athletic Federation since 2006, reckons it was financial support that enabled their athletes to do their country proud.

London 2012 was the Netherlands’ third most successful Olympics, winning six gold, six silver and eight bronze medals.

“We’re dependent on lottery funds which have helped our elite athlete programme a lot,” said Douglas, a four-time Olympian.

“It’s helped get our coaches better educated so we can help the athletes. It’s provided financial support not only for the athletes but the coaches and medical staff and enabled us to be up-to-date with the world’s top.

“I mean, it doesn’t make sense sending a Tyrone Smith (Bermuda long jumper) to the World Championships to compete when he’s not fully prepared.

“Funding means that (the Netherlands) athletes are fully prepared, the coaches are fully prepared and the medical staff are fully prepared. It’s been very important from that aspect.”

Douglas recently expressed a desire to return to the Island to become Bermuda’s national track and field coach, but said he could not comment on the level of funding received by Bermuda’s elite athletes.

“To be honest, I can’t comment on something I don’t know about,” he said. “I don’t want to throw anything out in the public as I’d rather do my own investigations.

“In the Netherlands we have a very good system. We evaluate it every year, after every tournament, and that’s when it’s decided how much funding we get. That’s how we operate over here.”

Douglas coached the Netherland’s men’s 4x100 metre relay team to a sixth-place finish in London. His team also set a new national record in the qualifying heat with a time of 38.29 seconds.

“I was very happy with our performance; we ran a national record and in the final we ran our third fastest time this year,” he said.

“For the guys it was definitely a job world done. Finishing sixth in the Olympic final is no joke. It was great to see the guys set a national record and to get to the finals was an extra gift.”

The Netherlands are not the only country whose elite athlete programme has greatly benefited from lottery funding.

Britain’s biggest gold medals haul since 1908 owes a lot to improved funding for Olympic sports.

More than £264 million has been shared between 27 Olympic sports from 2009 to 2013 to help British athletes perform to their potential at London 2012.

And yesterday Prime Minister David Cameron promised that UK Sport, the group which distributes funding to British teams and athletes, will receive £125 million annually so that the same level of training that was offered to athletes ahead of London 2012 could be maintained in the build up to the Rio Olympics.

Make text smaller Make text larger

Take Our Poll