tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/winning-edge-30117/articlesWinning Edge – The Conversation2018-02-26T01:21:34Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/921792018-02-26T01:21:34Z2018-02-26T01:21:34ZAustralia’s Winter Olympics results suggest we might need a new measure of success<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207778/original/file-20180226-140194-1en1sfw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Australian team finished 23rd on the medal tally in Pyeongchang.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Vassil Donev</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the Winter Olympic Games wrap up for another four years, questions will be raised about the Australian team’s performance, the significance of winter sports in our sporting landscape, and the amount of taxpayer funding they receive.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">Winning Edge strategy</a> was introduced in late 2012 as a way of allocating funding based on performance (especially international medals). After <a href="https://theconversation.com/winning-edge-fails-to-deliver-so-what-now-for-australias-olympic-hopes-64051">much controversy</a>, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) announced late last year it will no longer use the name Winning Edge; it has replaced it with values that promote sport success as influential on national pride and inspiration.</p>
<p>However, measuring the success of the Australian team in Pyeongchang – and the investment of <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/games/pyeongchang2018/games_news/story_667679_australias_winter_olympians_show_steely_resolve">A$16 million</a> to support it – may still be aligned to the ambitious Winning Edge targets. The target was to finish in the top 15 on the medal table. So, how will the AIS measure the success (or otherwise) of Pyeongchang?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-a-controversial-sports-funding-strategy-give-australias-winter-olympians-the-winning-edge-90854">Will a controversial sports funding strategy give Australia's Winter Olympians the winning edge?</a>
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<h2>Did the Australian team disappoint?</h2>
<p>The Australian team finished 23rd on the medal table in Pyeongchang, with two silver medals and one bronze medal. While this is the same number of medals it won at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, this team was expected to perform better. <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/news/australian-olympic-team-selected-for-pyeongchang-2018">Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman</a> said before the Games:</p>
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<p>This is the best-performed team that we’ve taken to an Olympic Games with a large number of athletes who have established that they are among the very best in their sports globally.</p>
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<p>Medal favourites and Olympic veterans David Morris and Lydia Lassila had high expectations, but were unable to achieve back-to-back Olympic medal wins. As a result, Australia failed to win a medal in the Winter Olympic sport it has been most successful in: aerial skiing. It was the first time in <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics/20year-first-as-no-olympic-medals-for-australian-aerials-women-20180216-h0w8jl.html">20 years</a> the Australian women’s aerial skiing team has not won a medal. </p>
<p>The three <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/medal-tally/aus-medallists">Australian medals</a> were won by young athletes competing in the moguls, snowboard cross, and halfpipe events.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-winning-mogul-skier-like-matt-graham-91743">What makes a winning mogul skier like Matt Graham?</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-winning-halfpipe-snowboarder-like-scotty-james-91833">What makes a winning halfpipe snowboarder like Scotty James?</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-winning-snowboard-cross-athlete-like-jarryd-hughes-91927">What makes a winning snowboard cross athlete like Jarryd Hughes?</a>
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<p>While unexpected medals are always the highlight of any Olympics, it does raise questions about Winning Edge. Funding leading into these Olympics was allocated based on Winning Edge, which directed financial support to athletes with the most potential to win a medal.</p>
<h2>Where to for funding of high-performance sport?</h2>
<p>The federal government has made no announcement on the direction or focus of high-performance sport and its funding priorities.</p>
<p>While Winning Edge published clear guidelines on performance expectations and funding allocations, it is unclear how the success of Australia’s Pyeongchang Olympic team – and, very soon, its Commonwealth Games team – will be measured in terms of government policy and spending.</p>
<p>The performance targets and funding allocations for Winter Olympic athletes as they prepare for Beijing in 2022 are similarly unknown.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">message from the AIS</a> is that high-performance sport is about:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>consistent and sustainable success for Australian athletes and teams on the world stage</p></li>
<li><p>greater levels of accountability for performance results</p></li>
<li><p>improved governance structures and contemporary reporting and monitoring of performance</p></li>
<li><p>engaging, uniting, inspiring and motivating all Australians.</p></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>While these key areas are very closely aligned to Winning Edge, the ambitious targets and linking funding to podium success may be under review. </p>
<p>AIS director Peter Conde <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/olympics/no-more-winning-edge-for-high-performance-funding-system/news-story/8e2e6363eec27ef13c5f3f6dc3c6747c">explained his vision</a> for high-performance sport policy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is about national pride and inspiration through sporting success, and that comes from more than a medal count. We want a real focus on the value that athletes bring to the community.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Are Australians interested in the Winter Olympics?</h2>
<p>Despite questions over Australians’ level of interest in the Winter Olympics, viewer statistics suggest they were interested. The ratings for the first week of the Games were strong: broadcaster Channel Seven attracted close to 1 million viewers nationwide per night. Overall, Australians spent 43 million minutes over the first week <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/australians-spent-43-million-minutes-watching-the-winter-olympics-last-week-20180216-h0w83o.html">watching the Olympics</a>.</p>
<p>Many younger viewers streamed coverage to personal devices. This demonstrates the appeal the Winter Olympics have for younger people – who, according to the <a href="https://www.olympic.org/olympic-agenda-2020">International Olympic Committee</a>, have generally lost interest in watching them. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/live-from-pyeongchang-how-an-olympic-broadcast-works-91238">Live from Pyeongchang: how an Olympic broadcast works</a>
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<p>So, perhaps the AIS leaders are considering the value Australian athletes bring to the community when competing on the world stage. Do their performances inspire and excite the nation? Does our participation – as an island nation, with minimal snow or ice – bring about feelings of national pride? </p>
<p>While the jury may be still be out on these questions, there is no doubt many Australians thoroughly enjoyed the Winter Olympics and felt pride and admiration for our courageous athletes – regardless of the number of medals they brought home.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92179/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Gowthorp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Measuring the success of the Australian team at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang may still be aligned to the ambitious Winning Edge targets.Lisa Gowthorp, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Bond Business School, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/908542018-02-06T01:07:34Z2018-02-06T01:07:34ZWill a controversial sports funding strategy give Australia’s Winter Olympians the winning edge?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204504/original/file-20180202-123833-qq6icx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Snowboarding is one of just two Winter Olympic sports to receive funding under Winning Edge.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Andy Green</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia will send <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/team">51 athletes</a> to this month’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang to compete across 11 disciplines. Freestyle skiing and snowboarding are the most popular sports; 28 athletes will represent Australia in these disciplines.</p>
<p>National sporting organisations and individual athletes have applied for funding and support ahead of the Olympics under the controversial Winning Edge strategy. The strategy prioritises funding for sports that have the greatest chance of success or that can demonstrate a capability to deliver results. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge/our_game_plan/performance_targets">Winning Edge targets</a>, Australia’s team in Pyeongchang is expected to finish in the top 15 on the medal table.</p>
<h2>How Winning Edge works</h2>
<p>At the <a href="http://corporate.olympics.com.au/games/sochi-2014">2014 Sochi Olympics</a>, Australia finished 24th on the medal table, with no gold medals. But at the <a href="http://corporate.olympics.com.au/games/vancouver-2010">2010 Vancouver Games</a> Australia finished 13th, winning two gold medals. </p>
<p>So, it is not out of reach for the Australian team to meet the Winning Edge targets. However, medal expectations lie with the sports funded by the strategy – namely skiing and snowboard. </p>
<p>In 2017, both the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) had significant changes in leadership. As a result, the AIS <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">announced</a> it will no longer use the Winning Edge brand name. The new AIS director, Peter Conde, <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/olympics/no-more-winning-edge-for-high-performance-funding-system/news-story/8e2e6363eec27ef13c5f3f6dc3c6747c">explained</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t think it’s a brand that’s useful in the future.</p>
<p>For elite sport this is about national pride and inspiration through sporting success, and that comes from more than a medal count. We want a real focus on the value that athletes bring to the community.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While change is on the way, the athletes have prepared for PyeongChang under the Winning Edge principles. Winning Edge outlines <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge/our_game_plan/high_performance_investment_principles">investment principles</a> that determine what sports – and athletes – will be funded and for how much. The bottom line is that sports must contribute to Winning Edge targets to receive long-term funding.</p>
<p>Winning Edge has <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge/sport_categorisation">categorised</a> all Australian sports on their ability to contribute to the Winning Edge targets. Skiing and snowboarding are “foundation sports”, due to past medal success, and therefore receive funding under Winning Edge. No other winter sport qualified for funding under Winning Edge. </p>
<p>Unlike summer Olympic sports, which work closely with the AIS, skiing and snowboarding work with the <a href="http://www.owia.org/owia-about.html">Olympic Winter Institute</a>. The institute receives funding from the <a href="http://corporate.olympics.com.au/the-aoc/programs-and-funding/funding-winter/2018-winter-olympic-games-pyeongchang/aoc-funding-winter-sports/flushcache/1/showdraft/1">Australian Olympic Committee</a> (A$1 million per year from 2015 to 2018) and the ASC.</p>
<p>The Olympic Winter Institute’s <a href="http://www.owia.org/policies--documents.html">Winter Sports Winning Edge guideline</a> highlights the requirements of winter national sporting organisations or individual athletes hoping to receive financial support. Athletes must demonstrate a podium or top-eight finish at benchmark events if they are to be considered for funding.</p>
<p>So, for the smaller winter Olympic sports, performance is required before funding is received. But how can athletes improve their performance without funding or support? </p>
<p>Many athletes from the smaller winter sports (like bobsleigh, skeleton, luge and skating) source corporate funding and rely on the generosity of international teams to assist with coaching, training and accommodation while competing overseas. Many athletes in these smaller sports are self-funded in an attempt to make the Olympic team. </p>
<p>The Australian Olympic Committee does provide <a href="http://corporate.olympics.com.au/the-aoc/programs-and-funding/funding-winter/2018-winter-olympic-games-pyeongchang/aoc-funding-winter-sports/flushcache/1/showdraft/1">additional support</a> to national sporting organisations and/or athletes who do not receive funding from the Australian Sports Commission. These contributions are up to $50,000 to sports such as biathlon, skating, bobsleigh, skeleton and luge.</p>
<h2>The future beyond Winning Edge</h2>
<p>The future, according to Conde, is what “value athletes bring to the community”. But what does this actually mean? </p>
<p>The Australian Sports Commission sought public engagement in the first half of 2017 to contribute towards the development of a <a href="https://www.greghunt.com.au/Home/LatestNews/tabid/133/ID/4261/National-Plan-for-elite-sport-and-participation.aspx">National Sport Plan</a>. The plan <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/nationalsportsplan">seeks to</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… understand Australia’s expectations of the sport sector, including our shared goals for high-performance sport.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But will Australians value winter sports and value the effort and dedication of those athletes competing at the Winter Olympics? </p>
<p>If an athlete’s role is to bring value to the community, surely the heroic efforts of our winter sport athletes bring inspiration, national pride and unity to many communities across Australia. Let’s hope all will be clear once the National Sport Plan – which includes the direction for high-performance sport – is released by the Australian Sports Commission later this year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90854/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Gowthorp is on the Board of Directors for Sliding Sports Australia (Bobsleigh & Skeleton).
</span></em></p>It’s not out of reach for the Australian Winter Olympic team to meet the Winning Edge targets of a top-15 finish on the medal tally.Lisa Gowthorp, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Bond Business School, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/694752016-11-29T00:08:02Z2016-11-29T00:08:02ZWill a UK-style lottery system really take Australia back to its Olympic glory days?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147826/original/image-20161128-22732-1nb3oyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Australian Sports Commission's John Wylie has reignited discussions about a UK-style lottery system to fund sport in Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Julian Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia recorded its lowest medal tally in 24 years at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. This prompted calls to examine the current funding model and seek alternative revenue streams.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/50m-lottery-our-last-hope-of-remaining-olympic-power-sports-chief/news-story/cdfa99986a85813428092d5ab8a235b6">Reports</a> suggest Australian high-performance sport is being outspent two to one by Britain. And many believe this <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/opinion/rio-olympics-lack-of-funding-key-to-poor-games-outcome/news-story/5bc4923aa2031ed4fc82ee662f246025">lack of funding</a> is to blame for Australia’s poor performance in Rio. So, what are the solutions?</p>
<h2>State of play</h2>
<p>The Australian Sports Commission’s contentious <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">Winning Edge</a> strategy, released in late 2012 after the London Olympics, set ambitious performance targets for the Olympic team.</p>
<p>Under Winning Edge, Australia was expected to finish in the top five on the medal table at Rio. The high-performance strategy directed taxpayer funding toward proven successful sports, and sports chiefs were confident of <a href="http://www.afr.com/business/sport/ais-confident-funding-changes-will-lead-to-better-results-at-rio-olympics-20160512-gote1b">achieving better results</a> than in London.</p>
<p>However, Australia finished tenth on the Rio medal table. </p>
<p>The expectation for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo remains for Australia to finish in the top five. However, the Australian Sports Commission’s (ASC) acting chief executive, Matt Favier, <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/olympic-funding-fewer-sports-or-drop-down-the-medal-table/news-story/b74d89cb01cddba364dd27ae10f3e895">recently admitted</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you want to pursue top five with a declining funding pool, you either fund fewer sports or you rethink if top five is achievable because it’s so much harder without the appropriate funding.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Following below-expectations performances at Rio, many sports lost up to 10% of their annual government funding. The <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/653449/ASC_Investment_allocation_2016-17.pdf">investment allocation for 2016-17</a> was determined on criteria that took into account Rio performances and future contributions to Winning Edge priorities. The biggest losers were:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>canoeing (-A$235,000); </p></li>
<li><p>cycling (-$391,500);</p></li>
<li><p>hockey (-$292,000); and</p></li>
<li><p>water polo (-$169,250). </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Modern pentathlon was the only sport to receive a significant funding increase. It added $70,000 to its budget of $95,000.</p>
<h2>Now what?</h2>
<p>On Monday, ASC chairman John Wylie reignited discussions about implementing a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics/rio-2016/ukstyle-lottery-funding-system-proposed-after-rio-olympics-20160901-gr6c3y.html">UK-style lottery system</a> in Australia. <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/50m-lottery-our-last-hope-of-remaining-olympic-power-sports-chief/news-story/cdfa99986a85813428092d5ab8a235b6">Wylie said</a> this lottery would need to be in place by the end of 2017 to have an impact on Australia’s performances at the 2020 Olympics. </p>
<p>Proposals to introduce a national sport lottery system in Australia are not new. A commercial group proposed such a scheme in 1979, but the government took no action at the time.</p>
<p>Later, the <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/SportFunding">House of Representatives Standing Committee on Expenditure</a> discussed the topic in 1983. It conceded the idea had some support, but the states were:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… unenthusiastic as they considered it would inevitably erode their own lottery revenue bases. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In 1995, a proposal was again floated for a national sport lottery to assist the staging of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. However, similar concerns about state co-operation were highlighted as a barrier. The committee also concluded that people had enough opportunities to engage in gambling in Australia, and therefore a sport lottery was not warranted. </p>
<p>Twenty years on, the Australian Sports Commission is now seeking federal government legislation to approve an online national lottery system. Wylie <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/50m-lottery-our-last-hope-of-remaining-olympic-power-sports-chief/news-story/cdfa99986a85813428092d5ab8a235b6">said</a> the proposed online lottery would not clash with traditional lottery licences held by the states – a concern that has thwarted previous attempts. </p>
<h2>Strengths and weaknesses of a lottery system</h2>
<p>A national lottery system would potentially raise between $30 million and $50 million per year. The funds would then be allocated across high-performance and community sport. </p>
<p>Under the <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/olympics-2016/national-lottery-scheme-needed-to-boost-australias-olympic-funding-before-tokyo-2020/news-story/4dd57a5bcac26701103b65b2681f9ee1">UK’s lottery system</a>, 50% of returns goes back into the prize pool, 28% goes to “good causes” (such as sport) and 12% goes to the government. It <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/50m-lottery-our-last-hope-of-remaining-olympic-power-sports-chief/news-story/cdfa99986a85813428092d5ab8a235b6">began in 1994</a>, two years before British sport bottomed out at the Atlanta Olympics – where it won just one gold medal.</p>
<p>Despite Wylie <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/asc-boss-john-wylie-pushes-responsible-lottery-to-fund-olympic-success-20161127-gsytq0.html">claiming</a> the management of the lottery would be outsourced, concerns about allocation and distribution remain. Former Australian hockey coach Ric Charlesworth has <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/olympic-dream-a-nightmare-without-a-big-boost-in-funds-charlesworth/news-story/6754ccdd698c4bd72a34c32b421d0182">previously argued</a> that sports funding has to be separated from the whims of politics, which often leave national sports organisations unable to make long-term plans. </p>
<p>Government funding through Winning Edge has been criticised for its allocation of money to sports with the best medal chances. So, under a lottery system, who would determine priorities in Olympic and community sport? And would an increase in external funding to sport potentially lead to a decrease in the government allocation to sport?</p>
<p>While there are many questions to be answered, the chances of passing legalisation for a national sport lottery in time to have any impact on athletes participating at the 2020 Olympics are slim. And co-operation and co-ordination with state governments will be a significant challenge, especially if current state lottery revenues are threatened. </p>
<p>More funding is definitely needed for Australia’s Olympic and community sports. But our sport system has greater issues that need to be tackled if we are to return to our former Olympic glory.</p>
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<p><em>Below is an interactive comparing money spent to medals won at the 2016 Olympics.</em></p>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-214" class="tc-infographic" height="5000" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/214/b2ec79939c9a84957c6d07a0334e20989cc8b159/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><em>Note: The weighted medal cost is determined by weighting the medals won (where a bronze medal has a value of one, silver a value of two and gold a value of three), then dividing the total amount spent by the total weighted value of the medals.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69475/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Gowthorp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Proposals to introduce a national sport lottery system in Australia are not new.Lisa Gowthorp, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/640512016-08-22T20:15:16Z2016-08-22T20:15:16ZWinning Edge fails to deliver, so what now for Australia’s Olympic hopes?<p>Rio 2016 is over and questions are being asked about why the Australian team didn’t perform any better. Making things worse is the fact that this worsening performance comes despite a new sports funding strategy that was supposed to boost the national medal tally. </p>
<p>Following a disappointing performance by the national team at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Australian Sport Commission implemented a new funding strategy called <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">Australia’s Winning Edge</a>. This approach projected a top-five finish on the medal table in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. </p>
<p>Winning Edge prioritises funding toward sports that have the greatest chance of success or those that can demonstrate a capability to deliver results. These <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/508465/High_performance_investment_principles.pdf">high-performance investment principles</a> outline how the Australian Sports Commission makes funding decisions. The bottom line is that sports must contribute to Winning Edge targets in order to receive long-term investment. </p>
<p>Prior to Winning Edge, the national sport strategy took a “whole of sport” approach. Funding was allocated to sports with large participation numbers and clear athlete pathways into elite programs. Unlike Winning Edge, it wasn’t primarily based on international performance results. </p>
<h2>2016 Olympic postmortem</h2>
<p>Popular and successful sports such as swimming, cycling and rowing received significant funding in the lead-up to the Rio Games. In turn, they were expected to produce Olympic medals. But it didn’t work that way. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/olympics-2016/swimming-australias-hierarchy-must-step-down-says-former-australian-head-coach-bill-sweetenham/news-story/583ea8488610617cacf7cb60c83614f6">Swimming</a>, for instance, received A$38 million in taxpayer funding. But performances in the pool were well below expectations. Australia’s swimming team was expected to win as many as <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-15/rio-2016-rowland-swimmers-performed-under-great-pressure/7733920">eight gold medals</a> at Rio; it won three. </p>
<p>Winning Edge seems to have added to the already high levels of boosterism already prevalent in Australian sport. Before the Games, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-07/asc-chairman-admits-winning-edge-rollout-not-handled-perfectly/7483412">the country was projected to win</a> 14 or 16 gold medals.</p>
<p>These projections were based on athlete performances and world rankings in 2015; in <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/olympics-2016/australias-34member-team-for-rio-olympic-games-announced/news-story/5063072960df04b541df8d17c69fc991">swimming alone</a>, Australia had 25 top-three world rankings in the lead-up events to the Rio Games. </p>
<p>Yet Australia finished tenth on the medal table at Rio, with eight gold medals and a <a href="http://rio2016.olympics.com.au/">total medal haul of 29</a>. The national medal tally at the London 2012 Games was 35 (including eight gold) but that was so disappointing it became the catalyst for <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-31/ais-director-matt-favier-hits-back-at-winning-edge-criticism-rio/7464628">implementing Winning Edge</a>. </p>
<p>The Australian Sports Commission plans to review funding based on performances in Rio later this year. While most will retain a <a href="http://ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge/investment_announcement/2014-15">baseline funding amount</a>, it’ll be interesting to see what cuts are made to sports that “underperformed”. </p>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-216" class="tc-infographic" height="400px" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/216/88135eba23794be9e8691e55e88af0f96335e050/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><em>Note: The weighted medal cost is determined by weighting the medals won (where a bronze medal has a value of one, silver a value of two and gold a value of three), then dividing the total amount spent by the total weighted value of the medals.</em></p>
<h2>Works for others</h2>
<p>Australia’s Winning Edge strategy was <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/federal-government-to-review-australian-institute-of-sport-operations-five-months-out-from-rio-olympics-20160221-gmzn37.html">modelled</a> on UK Sport’s “<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10206810/UK-Sport-remains-defiant-over-No-Compromise-position-as-funding-row-rumbles-on-with-threat-of-formal-challenge.html">no compromise</a>” funding approach, which was implemented to drive success at the London 2012 Olympic Games. </p>
<p>But the UK Sport model – described as “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/15/brutal-but-effective-why-team-gb-is-winning-so-many-olympic-medals">brutal but effective</a>” – has been a success; Great Britain had its best-ever result at Rio 2016, coming second after the United States. </p>
<p>Like Winning Edge, UK Sport’s funding investment model targeted successful sports and reduced funding or even axed unsuccessful programs such as basketball, wrestling, table tennis and volleyball. But why hasn’t targeted funding been as successful in Australia? </p>
<p>Compared with most nations above Australia on the medal table, sports funding here is much lower. Great Britain spent up to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-19/rio-2016-australian-medal-tally-not-what-we-expected-john-coates/7766738">A$1.3 billion</a> in the four years leading up to the Rio Games; Australia invested around A$800 million in the same period. </p>
<p>Great Britain funds the majority of its high-performance sport programs through its <a href="https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/team-gb-on-brink-of-historic-record-at-rio-2016-as-lottery-funding-pays-dividends-in-olympic-models">national lottery system</a>. Not only does this give it access to greater sums of money, it removes the sort of pressure placed on athletes – and their funders – when there’s <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics/rio-2016/olympics-australia/australian-olympic-committee-boss-john-coates-hits-out-at-sports-commission-after-poor-rio-results-20160818-gqw5n3.html">an expectation of return</a> on taxpayer dollars.</p>
<p>It seems clear now that relying on “proven” sports to fulfil Australia’s Olympic targets may not be the best strategy. By excluding less obvious sports, Winning Edge has reduced the number of events Australia had an opportunity to medal in at Rio 2016. </p>
<p>Australia’s biggest medal haul was at the <a href="http://corporate.olympics.com.au/games/sydney-2000">Sydney 2000 Games</a> (58), where the nation was represented in 20 sports. In Rio, only 12 sports contributed to the final medal haul. And the Rio tally includes unexpected medals from shooting, archery and modern pentathlon - sports not targeted under Winning Edge. </p>
<p>It’s these surprise medals from smaller sports that may better embody the Olympic spirit and unite the nation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64051/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Gowthorp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Australia finished tenth on the medal table in the Rio 2016 Games, well below what the nation’s latest funding strategy had led people to expect.Lisa Gowthorp, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/636482016-08-09T20:08:56Z2016-08-09T20:08:56ZAre the Rio 2016 Games a true measure of Australia’s Winning Edge?<p>Australia has had a good start to the Rio Olympics, appearing well placed for a more successful campaign than the London Games. But does that mean the strategy created in response to Australia’s poor Olympic performance in 2012 is working? </p>
<p>Under its new policy – known as <a href="http://ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">Australia’s Winning Edge</a> – the Australian Sports Commission set high targets for the national Olympic team. The strategy projects a top-five finish on the medal tables for the 2016 and 2020 Games. </p>
<p>While, on the one hand, the government has been praised for setting such high standards, it has also been criticised for implementing a funding model that clearly favours traditional sports with a proven record. Former Australian Institute of Sport director and world champion marathon runner <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/olympics-2016/rio-olympics-2016-questions-raised-over-credibility-of-the-australian-institute-of-sport/news-story/bd42e39b0c804d03371cd14d619fb002">Robert de Castella</a> has criticised the policy for just “going for easy medals”.</p>
<h2>Winning ways</h2>
<p>Australia’s Winning Edge was implemented in late 2012, following the disappointing performance of the Australian team at the London Olympic Games. </p>
<p>The ten-year strategy marks a strong shift for Australian sport, and supporters and critics alike will be watching the results at Rio to evaluate its success. But athletes competing in Rio are there as a result of the previous sports strategy. </p>
<p>Before 2012, government funding embraced a “<a href="https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/aust_sport_path/$file/aust_sport_path.pdf">whole-of-sport</a>” approach that rewarded disciplines with a large participation base and clear pathways for athletes. But the high-performance <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/634682/High_performance_investment_allocation_model_2015-16.pdf">investment allocation model</a> supporting the new strategy categorises sports according to their contribution to its targets. </p>
<p>Those with a record of achieving multiple medals or having consistent team success will receive support. So will sports most likely to achieve a top-eight finish at the Games or garner gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. But those that fail to meet these criteria receive less funding. </p>
<p>One sport that has already felt the impact of the new funding model is artistic gymnastics. The <a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-gymnastics-community-rally-in-perth-over-wais-decision-to-axe-elite-program/news-story/36e5198c9fe5ef5f13ea59ebf6c2cd84">Western Australian Institute of Sport</a> (WAIS) cut its women’s artistic gymnastics program after the Australian team didn’t qualify for the Rio Games earlier this year.</p>
<p>Only the top 12 nations in the world qualify to send a team to compete in the Olympic Games and this was the first time Australia hasn’t qualified for 28 years. </p>
<p>Although other state-based institutes have retained their women’s artistic gymnastics programs, WAIS had produced Olympic and Commonwealth champions for many years, as well as training athletes who transitioned successfully into other Olympic sports such as aerial skiing, snowboarding, and diving. </p>
<p>WAIS claimed its decision to redirect funds was made in order to prioritise Western Australia’s contribution to “<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-12/wais-closes-doors-on-gymnast-program/7621876">Australia’s international sporting success</a>”.</p>
<h2>Rio and beyond</h2>
<p>The concern among many involved in less popular sports is that the government’s sport investment focus is now only supporting successful sports and successful athletes. But how do athletes become successful without support structures and systems around them? And how can sports develop and nurture talented athletes with no funding? </p>
<p>Prior to the implementation of this new strategy, the Australian Institute of Sport housed and developed Olympic champions. It no longer operates a daily training hub for pre-elite or developing athletes. </p>
<p>And there are no residential full-time athlete programs based at the Institute. What was once considered a “gold medal factory” is now described as a “<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/federal-government-to-review-australian-institute-of-sport-operations-five-months-out-from-rio-olympics-20160221-gmzn37.html">tumbleweed town</a>”. </p>
<p>The Winning Edge strategy is focused on supporting traditional sports that have historically been successful at the Olympic Games, such as swimming, rowing, sailing and cycling. </p>
<p>But Australia’s first medal at Rio was in archery, a sport not identified to contribute to the Winning Edge performance targets. <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/634681/Investment_allocation_2015-16.pdf">In 2015-2016, it was allocated</a> A$600,000, compared to sports such as basketball ($4.7m), cycling ($7.8m) and swimming ($8.4m).</p>
<p>Public criticism of the strategy by the Australian Olympic Committee president <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics/rio-2016/olympics-bosses-claim-credit-for-archery-medal-in-rio-20160807-gqn5s4.html">John Coates</a> suggests we can say goodbye to these lesser-known sports and athletes winning surprising medals. </p>
<p>At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Winning Edge strategy will have been in place for eight years. We will then be able to identify how the program has contributed to the development of the next generation of Australian athletes across all Olympic sports. </p>
<p>The results in four years’ time will truly reflect the impact the strategy has had on sport development, sport participation and sport pathways in Australia. That is, of course, if the strategy remains in place after the Rio Games.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63648/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Gowthorp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Australia has had a good start to the Rio Olympics. But does that mean that the strategy created in response to Australia’s poor Olympic performance in 2012 is working?Lisa Gowthorp, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.