If I go through the list of priorities in the year building up to an Olympics, stability would be near the very top.
I know from my own experience of preparing for four Games and from speaking to people from other sports that the value of all the ‘other’ stuff that goes with being a professional athlete being taken care of is huge.
Plans have been put in place, budgets have been fixed and any trace of doubt that those will change in the last few months is a bad thing.
That’s why the news of Stephen Maguire losing his job as the technical director of UK Athletics will have sent shockwaves through the sport.
He was hugely respected by athletes when he worked in Scotland and the comments made by Dina Asher-Smith show that the same applies down in England after his short time in charge.
Dina Asher-Smith stunned by UK Athletics chief’s exit. Messy business. https://t.co/W8RDUr4dbf
— Matt Lawton (@Lawton_Times) October 17, 2023
The suggestion seems to be that money – or rather the lack of it – is at the heart of the parting of ways.
Their last financial accounts shows a £1 million-plus loss and there’s talk that things are so bad that there will no backing for British athletes at certain events.
Athletics has never felt like a ‘minority’ sport that should be struggling for money.
Maybe that’s because of the prime-time terrestrial TV opportunities it gets and the profile of the top athletes.
But, for whatever reason, they’re toiling badly money-wise, it would appear.
The only good thing I can see is that athletes are so used to working in their own bubble that they’re better placed than most to block out the outside noise.
If it was a team game, that would be much tougher.
But after a strong showing at the World Championships earlier this year, this will be a hugely worrying development that our track and field Olympians really could have done without.
The Rugby World Cup has caught fire now.
After all the excitement of the first weekend, which feels like a lifetime ago, it has certainly been a slow burn!
South Africa created havoc with their kicking game on Sunday
Damian de Allende the beneficiary at Stade de France#RWC2023 | #FRAvRSA pic.twitter.com/GL2NgQJhGB
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 17, 2023
The organisers didn’t do themselves any favours with their needlessly early seedings and draw – Scotland know all about that.
But rugby is far from alone in its main tournament only coming to the boil from the knockout stages.
It’s the same in every sport – my own included.
Yes, you get the odd shock in groups or round-robin but the best teams are the ones who peak at the right time.
It’s certainly no surprise that South Africa and New Zealand reinforced that point a few days ago.
I’d obviously have loved to see Scotland going all the way but I must admit I’m a wee bit disappointed that Ireland won’t be in the final either because I’m in Dublin next weekend and that would have been quite a party, I’m guessing!
It’s Grand Slam week in curling, which always felt like the real start of the season to me.
We’ve got five teams out in Canada, three in tier one and two in tier two.
Ironically, it’s our strongest team, Team Mouat, who have got off to the slowest start.
Team Henderson, who I’ve started a bit of coaching work with, aren’t at that level yet but they’ll have learned loads from a couple of weeks spent out there recently.
They didn’t qualify for the knockouts in either tournament they played but they’re getting the best learning experience you could ask for in the toughest environment in the sport.
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