Saturday, September 06, 2014
Sport For All
Below is an article I put
on my Blog on how our International Body FIAS gained Sambo participation in the
European Games a great achievement for our Sport. I also wrote “This development could
get us recognition with the British Olympic Committee and maybe some funding”
HOW NAIVE I WAS. The sole purpose of UK Sport is to support Elite Athletes in
the Olympic Sports and then funding is based on results. By results I mean
medals not on how many people they reach out to. Years ago the old Sports
Council had a motto “Sport For All” even today the I.O.C still bandy the word
“Sport For All” see link but this not true. SPORT MAYBE FOR ALL but the
financial help for Sport for All is not there, funding is for a very few Elite
Athletes who are Olympians. Yet there are many Sports that are not Olympic
Sports are they not worthy of financial help. The Olympic Games does produce
outstanding athletes who can become Celebrities and Millionaires at the expense
of the Tax Payer and Government use these Athletes to promote themselves. The
Games itself becomes not only a sporting spectacular but also a method for
Governments to promote their political dogma for example the London Olympics
was announced under Tony Blair and he asked Danny Boyle to produce the Opening
Ceremony. This was a spectacular event which was supposed to show GB through
the ages what it did do was to produce a Socialist view of the UK through the
ages. Yes there was Conservative Government in power but the original
arrangements were made under Labour.
The point I am making is
that financial and other support should be spread more equally around all
Sports governing Body, it is somewhat ironic that a Russian based organisation has
supported the British Sombo Federation while the British Government gives us
nothing.
Sambo to be included in
European Olympic Games
Below is an article about the acceptance of Sambo into the European Olympic Games, this is great news for us in the British Sombo Federation and as Andrew says below the start of Sambo/Sombo/Cambo started in 1967 yet the real work has been done by the British Sombo Federation founded in 1986. The BSF has had to rely on its members to cover the costs of Tournaments and International events for many years. In recent years since the FIAS Presidency of Mr V Shestakov the BSF has had financial help and practical help with equipment etc.
This development could get us recognition with the British Olympic Committee and maybe some funding who knows but we will be looking for a selected GB Team for the event in Azerbaijan. This news coupled with the the Presidents Cup and Commonwealth Sambo Championships in Dartford last weekend of September proves that Sambo in GB is on the move and all the hard work done by the BSF since 1986 has come to fruition. This success could not have happened without the hard work of FIAS.