New Posts For Thread: cycling - women's sprinthttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprintGone for Guo at 50sPendleton class act this year, should win but a bit fragile... Meares not been her best and Guo has impressed... 50s big price imoIt is more understandable that the Australians would have an obsession with the "Mother" country. I don't understand why Brits have such an obsession for Australia, why not for Canada, South Africa, India etc. all far more populated countries than Auhttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522746727#522746727It is more understandable that the Australians would have an obsession with the "Mother" country. I don't understand why Brits have such an obsession for Australia, why not for Canada, South Africa, India etc. all far more populated countries than AuTue, 07 Aug 2012 15:05:13 -0500And the British obsession with Australia is reciprocal. They have a go at us when we do badly against them, and we have a go at them when they do badly against us. If you actually are German, you may not understand the 'special relationship' betwehttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522741691#522741691And the British obsession with Australia is reciprocal. They have a go at us when we do badly against them, and we have a go at them when they do badly against us. If you actually are German, you may not understand the 'special relationship' betweTue, 07 Aug 2012 13:38:24 -0500Have the Australians really been in decline since their own Olympics? The 16 Golds they got at their own games were obviously good, but they went one better in 2004, and in 2008 they still had a very impressive 14. The Games haven't finished yet, obhttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522741525#522741525Have the Australians really been in decline since their own Olympics? The 16 Golds they got at their own games were obviously good, but they went one better in 2004, and in 2008 they still had a very impressive 14. The Games haven't finished yet, obTue, 07 Aug 2012 13:35:20 -0500Football in this country trains players using full-size pitches and balls. On the continent, most countries use smaller versions of those things. As a result, the English system picks out lots of large well-developed players, while the smaller ones (https://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522741127#522741127Football in this country trains players using full-size pitches and balls. On the continent, most countries use smaller versions of those things. As a result, the English system picks out lots of large well-developed players, while the smaller ones (Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:26:40 -0500It is a tabloid argument to suggest Aus and NZ are competing with each other at the Olympics. NZ won all their golds and most of the their medals at one sport. May as well say Aus are behind Kazachstan in sporting terms.Lots of developed populous couhttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522740961#522740961It is a tabloid argument to suggest Aus and NZ are competing with each other at the Olympics. NZ won all their golds and most of the their medals at one sport. May as well say Aus are behind Kazachstan in sporting terms.Lots of developed populous couTue, 07 Aug 2012 13:22:43 -0500Australia may well have a higher sport participation rate than most nations I do not know. But that will only get you so far in professional sport, people playing sport recreationally will not win you medals.Of course that'll only get you so far. Buthttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522740475#522740475Australia may well have a higher sport participation rate than most nations I do not know. But that will only get you so far in professional sport, people playing sport recreationally will not win you medals.Of course that'll only get you so far. ButTue, 07 Aug 2012 13:12:27 -0500Australia have always invested heavily in sports, the Australian Institute for Sport being a good example. Population size only tells some of the story, not all countries are so sports obsessed as Australia is and not every country has the climate Auhttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522740421#522740421Australia have always invested heavily in sports, the Australian Institute for Sport being a good example. Population size only tells some of the story, not all countries are so sports obsessed as Australia is and not every country has the climate AuTue, 07 Aug 2012 13:11:04 -0500This is exactly my point earlier Dylan about population.Bigger countries will have a bigger budget for sport to hire top coaches and set up elite training centres which can be used by all athletes. UK in cycling be an obvious example. Giving everyonehttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522740187#522740187This is exactly my point earlier Dylan about population.Bigger countries will have a bigger budget for sport to hire top coaches and set up elite training centres which can be used by all athletes. UK in cycling be an obvious example. Giving everyoneTue, 07 Aug 2012 13:06:40 -0500football is interesting because if you look at the number of qualified coaches in the UK its much smaller than countries like Spain, Italy, Holland. So you might have a high participation rate but if they aren't being coached properly from a young aghttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522739899#522739899football is interesting because if you look at the number of qualified coaches in the UK its much smaller than countries like Spain, Italy, Holland. So you might have a high participation rate but if they aren't being coached properly from a young agTue, 07 Aug 2012 13:02:38 -0500Not at all as said before they have punched above their weight for years.Other countries catch up that is a fact of life.Australia may well have a higher sport participation rate than most nations I do not know. But that will only get you so far in phttps://community.betfair.com/commonwealthgames2010/go/thread/view/114965/29289945/cycling---womens-sprint?post_id=522739541#522739541Not at all as said before they have punched above their weight for years.Other countries catch up that is a fact of life.Australia may well have a higher sport participation rate than most nations I do not know. But that will only get you so far in pTue, 07 Aug 2012 12:58:49 -0500