Money isn't guaranteed to buy you a top quality programme which produces consistent medal winners across a range of disciplines, unless you spend it properly. Under the current UK Sport funding formula though, it does perpetuate success and failure.

How much does the LTA make from Wimbledon every year, yet we still have to import Konta to get a decent female player?

So that's a couple of Aussies moaning about their countries' broadcasting of one event & an assumption that one of the poorest countries in the world might not have as strong a national broadcaster. Great debating skills there my friend!
As for the BBC selling programmes I have already said that the BBC has strengths. Sport is not one of them. Your original assertion remember was that the "BBC drives up standards across the board". That you cannot see that that is a preposterous statement only demeans your argument.



So I take it that you have no answer to the examples of sports broadcasting standards that have been increased by Sky after the BBC failed to do so, despite many years of a virtually free field?



Why are you comparing the BBC to ITV? ITV are just as crap (possibly worse so) when it comes to sports coverage. Other organisations, on the other hand, have moved certain outputs on beyond where the BBC could take it.



Nope, but I can see how you would like to think so. The good old Auntie Beeb were aware of a serial kiddy/incapacitated/corpse fiddler in their employ & chose, as an institution, to regale him. Only when the weight of evidence was so great did they decide to "have an investigation" (whitewash). Alan Yentob, along with numerous executives throughout the decades, was given a very healthy pay off, using our money to do so. This despite him trying to influence public opinion on his fat, useless, dangerous friend by using his position to try & persuade lower level staff along a certain editorial path.



Despite me explaining that it was said tongue-in-cheek?
Even if you didn't accept this, to be a lie I would have to have known that the BBC was not a state broadcaster, and thought that you did not know that it wasn't. Any other scenario & it isn't a lie. So either it was a lie & I think you're thick, or it wasn't a lie & you definitely are thick for calling it a lie when it wasn't. My work here is done.

You make a good point about tennis. There are differences I think between tennis and cycling - just to take those sports in isolation. Tennis, especially female tennis, is a very early developing sport. The quality of coaching and access to that is limiting. The cost of coaching is very high and like a lot of sports quality is patchy. One of my friends daughter is U14 county champion. He plays to a decent standard himself but he pulls a painful face when he talks about coaching costs. And she's been playing since she was 4 years old and they live 5 minutes from the club that produced Tim Henman. That's not needed for cycling, or rowing for that matter. After London there was a campaign to basically recruit tall sporty people into rowing. You can identify talent later and quality of youth coaching is not so critical. I think with cycling they got the right people where they needed them - at the top end. That team then did pretty much everything right.
Sports like tennis and swimming need high quality coaches getting hold of kids at a very young age and that's a bigger net to cast. I'm sure the LTA do spend a lot of money but you could easily waste a small fortune if you don't put the money in the right place, and my guess is they could do much better.

We used to be a bit of a laughing stock when it came to how we equipped our sportsmen and women to succeed, but now having the best gear for track cycling and conditioning makes a huge difference and the coaches have delivered some phenomenal athletes.

Sport is one of those broadcasts sold abroad. If you are in Canada, or Australia, or America, or anywhere else in the world. Some of the sports, this olympics right now, come from the BBC.
Plenty of examples, First sports match broadcast in the country, first HD sports broadcast, first Outside Broadcast, first floodlit broadcast, first football match in the entire world broadcast, the first ever worldwide satellite broadcast, first colour tv station,
But what have the romans done for us lately?


we can compare the BBC to skys viewing figures on sport if you want? I dont think its going to work in your favour though...


You dont need me to explain what a lie is, you just want to argue over semantics to distract from you being a bit of d1ck.

Translation: Oops I got that wrong, so let me see... oh yes, if I resort to an insult perhaps that will muddy the waters & no one will notice!

Your debating skills require a little work

Australia are 7th on the medal table

Ahh, the old 'i know you are so what am i'

Very impressive from GB to be one medal ahead of where they were at the same stage in 2012. No country has ever increased their medal total the following games after hosting. We got 65 in London, our best 'away' showing in Beijing was 47 so we've got a great chance of beating that with us already on 30 with more medals already guaranteed today and with the likes of the Brownlee brothers still to come and Justin Rose looking in a good position to get a medal too in the golf.

And as I mentioned previously it's good to see our medals spread out over sports. With our 30 medals yes we have our stronger sports with swimming (6) and rowing and cycling (5) but not to the extent of some of the other countries near the top of the medal table. The swimming features so many different races/medals that it can really alter the table.

USA have 60 medals, 33 of them are from swimming only. So from all other events they 'only' have 27 which puts them near us (we'd have 24 if you took away our swimming ones in comparison). Australia have 22 medals, 10 of them from swimming. Japan have 24 medals, 12 of them from judo. So these countries are relying on one sport to give them around half of their medals so far.

Eh? & once more in English?

Nice of team GB to win many of its medals in UK viewing time. Had some good evenings in front of the TV this last well

Maybe the BBC is admired the world over....the Brazilian hen do that gate crashed the live BBC 4 coverage last night seemed to be impressed www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37077188 Could be in for a promising night. Max Whitlock already has one gold and has his better event still to come. Justin Rose leading the golf by 1 with a few holes left. Andy Murray to play and more track cycling.

Maybe the BBC is admired the world over....the Brazilian hen do that gate crashed the live BBC 4 coverage last night seemed to be impressed www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37077188 Could be in for a promising night. Max Whitlock already has one gold and has his better event still to come. Justin Rose leading the golf by 1 with a few holes left. Andy Murray to play and more track cycling.