Section C: Olympic Games: a global perspective 5. Comparison of methods of nurturing talent in the pursuit of global excellence

Syllabus A comparison of the pursuit of excellence, therefore gold medals, in countries such as the US and the PRC A comparison of: – Elitist and personal achievement ethics – Win at all costs ethic – Status and funding of high level sport – Policies and methods used to achieve gold medals – Professionalism and behaviour

How might a country identify and nurture talent in order to win Olympics medals? Elitist methods / selecting the best / giving these athletes full backing at the expense of others Focus on certain sports Pursue the win at all costs ethic / turn a blind eye to deviance Government gives status and funding to high level sport Create a structure or methods to identify and test talent at a young age Create a competition structure Have many athletes in a programme so that wastage is not noticed Encourage a sporting culture

Comparison USA Federal government with state autonomy PE important up to 12 yrs: then sport takes over Athletes cultivated outside school Schools belong to state high school sport federations Qualified PE specialist Extracurricular high profile coaches Scholarships into collegiate programme Intercollegiate sport highly organised CHINA State controlled system Highly structured whole country PE curriculum Athletes cultivated in schools Secondary sports schools Emphasis on gymnastics Extracurricular (during and after school) University sport highly organised Asian games as an avenue for international competition Sophisticated work place sports structure