tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/sports-policy-33739/articlesSports policy – 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>
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<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>
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<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>
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<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>
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<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/781862017-06-06T19:21:56Z2017-06-06T19:21:56ZOur ‘sporting nation’ is a myth, so how do we get youngsters back on the field?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171965/original/file-20170602-25700-1e6r1fb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Neglected and sub-par facilities are one of many barriers to youth participation in sport.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tupwanders/4090730864/">tup wanders</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sport is seen as a key part of Australia’s identity. Yet woefully rundown facilities and outdated sport offerings are creating significant barriers to youth participation. </p>
<p>In partnership with the <a href="http://yourlocalclub.com.au/who-we-are/our-stories/">Cooks River Sporting Alliance</a>, Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club, and 12 public and private schools from Sydney’s inner west, we’ll be working with youth to co-design an innovative program to reverse the decline in youth participation in sport. </p>
<p>Our program, Designing in Youth, will feature new sport offerings, advertising materials and redesigned facilities. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3315587/">Research</a> shows that environmental design works best when it considers multiple factors. Thus, the first phase of our project is a survey to identify psychological and social barriers alongside environmental drivers of youth sport participation. </p>
<h2>Barriers to participation</h2>
<p>Australia’s sporting landscape offers more barriers than motivations for youth, and the effects are obvious. The World Health Organisation recommends 60 minutes of physical activity every day. In Australia, only <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/health-pubhlth-strateg-active-evidence.htm">one in ten</a> young adults do this. </p>
<p>Despite many programs to increase youth physical activity and sport participation, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18091006">results have been inconsistent</a>. Perhaps these programs’ failure to have a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3871410/">lasting impact</a> on young people’s exercise habits is due to their <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/107/6/1459">highly structured</a> nature and <a href="http://docslide.net/documents/in-focuspositive-coaching-youth-sports-hold-a-lesson-for-leaders.html">lack of youth leadership</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://docslide.net/documents/in-focuspositive-coaching-youth-sports-hold-a-lesson-for-leaders.html">Youth report</a> their reasons for playing sport include enjoyment, development of physical and motor skills, self-esteem and peer interaction, among other factors. We hypothesise that better interventions emphasise the fun factor and involve peer-led, unstructured play. This should produce long-lasting improvements in attitudes to physical activity. </p>
<p>Most organised sports promote practice and winning over play, are primarily coach-led and do not encourage the development of physical and motor skills. These <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1356336X14555294">factors are barriers</a> to youth sport participation. </p>
<p>This is partly due to poorly designed facilities. Few facilities promote both social and competitive participation, focus on peer leadership, or offer a wide variety of sporting activities in one place. </p>
<h2>Neglect of grassroots sport</h2>
<p>In New South Wales, the divide between elite and grassroots sport is huge. Most youth participation is in grassroots sport, but the funding <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/SportFunding#_Toc360096410">mostly goes into elite clubs</a>. </p>
<p>Sports fields for grassroots clubs are commonly placed as afterthoughts, typically on leftover land. In NSW, this can be seen along Cooks River in the suburbs of Hurlstone Park and Canterbury. Here, sporting events and practices are regularly cancelled due to flooding.</p>
<p>To make things worse, many fields are not designed for sport and poorly maintained. The uneven, pitted surfaces are bad for play.</p>
<p>At these fields, bathroom blocks are rare, dirty and often falling apart. There are usually no changing rooms or showers. Many fields have few, if any, benches to sit on, and no access to food and drink vendors. </p>
<p>In addition, facilities are usually designed for one sport only. This leaves parents or siblings with nothing else to do while they wait.</p>
<p>In other countries, such as the Netherlands, facilities for local sport clubs <a href="http://www.cladglobal.com/CLADnews/architecture-design/Feyenoord-football-stadium-design-architecture-OMA-David-Gianotten-Eredivise-Netherlands-regeneration/326277?source=news">function as community centres</a>. Their fields are designed for various sporting activities and have playgrounds and hospitality centres nearby. </p>
<h2>Why does participation matter?</h2>
<p>The decline in sport participation may be a factor in the rise of poor mental health. Despite decreases in substance abuse such as smoking and binge drinking, rates of self-harm, depression, anxiety and suicide are <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2015-ley096.htm">on the rise</a> among Australian youth. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_young_people/en/">Many studies</a> have found habitual sport activities are an effective way to improve mental health. Other health benefits include reductions in obesity and blood pressure. The 2010 report, <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/aust_sport_path/%24file/aust_sport_path.pdf">Australian Sport: Pathway to Success</a>, recognised boosting youth participation in sport and supporting grassroots clubs as important for improving both population health and national sporting success. </p>
<p>Despite all this evidence of many benefits, studies have charted a <a href="http://www.who.int/whr/2002/en/">steady global decline in sport participation</a> between the ages of 11 and 16. Participation is particularly low among <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/09654280010343555">older girls</a>. </p>
<p>Past studies have <a href="http://www.who.int/whr/2002/en/">identified some barriers</a> to participation. These include <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/09654280010343555">reduced parental influence</a> on choice of activity, boredom with the available sports, and <a href="http://www.sportandrecreationspatial.com.au/resources/2014%20JSAMS%20Transition3..pdf">time challenges</a> created by increased academic workload.</p>
<p>Other possible barriers such as poorly designed and maintained public parks have not been well studied. It’s probable that the poor condition of facilities and the lack of variety in sports and other non-sporting amenities on offer also discourage participation.</p>
<h2>A new approach to involving youth</h2>
<p>If we’re to increase youth participation, we need to include their opinions in the redesign process to ensure being involved in sport appeals to them.</p>
<p>Most programs worldwide have focused only on promoting an overall increase in physical activity. But regular and vigorous sports participation has greater long-term benefits, including improvements in <a href="https://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/file-support-and-advice/file-research-and-policies/brain-boost-how-sport-and-physical-activity-enhance-children%27s-learning.pdf?sfvrsn=4">children’s learning</a>. </p>
<p>We hope Designing in Youth will help create a whole new landscape for sport in Sydney’s inner west. If successful, our communities and our use of public outdoor space will change for the better. </p>
<p>We should see youth outside again. And maybe, just maybe, we will restore our status as a sporting nation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78186/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Ascher Barnstone receives funding from Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Brooks receives funding from Hurlstone Park and Canterbury RSL
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Job Fransen receives funding from Hurlstone Park/Canterbury RSL</span></em></p>The first step in reviving a lost sporting culture is to involve young Australians in working out why sport has lost its appeal and how to reverse the decline in youth participation.Deborah Ascher Barnstone, Professor, Associate Head of School, School of Architecture, University of Technology SydneyFiona Brooks, Professor of Public Health, Associate Dean Research, University of Technology SydneyJob Fransen, Lecturer in Skill Acquisition and Motor Control, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/712432017-01-12T16:28:59Z2017-01-12T16:28:59ZParkour is now officially a sport – here’s to jumping for joy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152558/original/image-20170112-18325-dmmp2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nightfall404/7354597968/sizes/l">nightfall404/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Running, leaping and climbing through the city isn’t just a test of strength and stamina – it’s also now an official sport. Parkour – a form of urban acrobatics, originating in France – is now officially recognised by sports councils across Britain. On a practical level, this means that it can be on national educational curricula, apply for lottery funding and access the benefits enjoyed by other major sports.</p>
<p>This is a big step forward for the development of parkour, which already has <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29769348">about 35,000</a> practitioners – or “traceurs” – in the UK alone. There’s no typical traceur; participants can range from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/182947125404935/">very young children</a> to those with <a href="http://parkinsonslife.eu/kinetics-play-parkinsons-parkour-sue-wylie/">Parkinson’s disease</a>, and there are new people starting up all the time. </p>
<p>As well as having obvious <a href="http://search.proquest.com/openview/e0d8038dd74c23f24acf2cd6b8d778a0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar">physical health benefits</a>, parkour also continues to show signs in research of contributing <a href="http://www.freeyourinstinct.org/">to positive mental health</a>. It’s often practised in groups, which fosters social bonds between people, as encouraging each other to engage with the city in a constructive way, and offering an exciting alternative to the lure of more nefarious and destructive group activities.</p>
<h2>Dangerous game?</h2>
<p>Not everyone sees it this way: some still regard the sport as <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/daredevil-pursuit-wins-official-approval-hmtxgktdc">dangerous</a>, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/01/08/safety-concerns-daredevil-pursuit-parkour-set-become-official/">anti-social</a> and in some cases, even criminal. Yet evidence suggests that these fears might be misplaced. After all, every sport carries risks: in 2013, <a href="https://www.thebmc.co.uk/how-dangerous-are-climbing-and-hill-walking">15 people died while hill-walking</a>, and in 2014, <a href="http://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/pedal-cyclists/facts-figures/">113 people were killed while cycling</a>. Any death is tragic, and all possible measures should be taken to make sure that activities are safe – but there’s no reason to think that parkour is much riskier than any other sport. </p>
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<p>At the very core of parkour is its intense, visceral and creative connection with the environment; the feel of flesh on the city. Those who partake in the sport do so not from a desire to commit a crime, but to escape the daily routine and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-urban-politics-of-parkour-how-traceurs-use-sport-to-rediscover-the-city-62807">experience the city in different ways</a>. Faced with an urban environment that is rapidly sacrificing public space to private capital, it’s inevitable that some traceurs will trespass. </p>
<p>This doesn’t make parkour anti-social, though. Quite the opposite, in fact: it reaffirms the connection people can have with the city – one that is being lost in the competitive throng of contemporary urban life. The practice of parkour is still relatively free from the pressures of commodification and competition. It encourages people to work together, learn from each other and fleetingly reclaim city as a common civic space. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NX7QNWEGcNI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Getting connected</h2>
<p>Parkour also forms the basis of a growing global online community. This activity is predominantly practised by tech-savvy young people, who leverage the power of social media to improve their skills, learn new moves and showcase their talents to the rest of the world. Parkour’s popularity has a lot to do with the way it allows people to meld their online and offline worlds together. </p>
<p>Innovation and creativity are two of parkour’s major strengths as a sport, and many online videos, Hollywood films and computer games incorporate the spectacular physicality of parkour into their stories and imagery. As such, parkour is at the leading edge of sporting activity, blending as it does physical prowess, digital literacy and visual creativity.</p>
<p>For all these reasons, parkour’s recognition by UK sports councils marks an important and welcome moment. By bringing parkour into the cannon of national sports, it may force urban planners and local councils to redress some of the actions taken against the sport: for instance, <a href="http://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/politics/parkour-to-be-banned-from-horsham-town-centre-1-7560439">Horsham council</a> are intent on banning parkour from the town centre, while “no parkour” signs are increasingly common across the country. Official recognition sends out a signal that such regressive policies should be countered. </p>
<p>Parkour improves physical and mental health. It offers a way for citizens to resist the increasing privatisation taking place in cities around the world. It promotes creativity, connectivity and civic activity, all while showcasing what incredible things the human body is capable of. In many ways, parkour offers us a glimpse of the future of sport – and it’s looking bright.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71243/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oli Mould 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>Don’t be alarmed: it’s no more dangerous than other sports, and in fact, it’s actually good for your health.Oli Mould, Lecturer in Human Geography, Royal Holloway University of LondonLicensed 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>
<hr>
<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.