As I write this, the British Olympics team has just returned to our shores to much, and highly justified, fanfare. After such a titanic achievement it’s fascinating to chart this rise from sporting mediocrity to Olympic superpower.
In 1996, the British team won a total of 15 medals, including a solitary gold. Compare this to the recent haul of 67 medals, including 27 golds and the comparisons are staggering. This particular playing field has largely been levelled due to the transition from ‘amateur’ to professional for the vast majority of UK athletes and competitors. Much funding was generated by the National Lottery, a fact acknowledged in most of the medal winning interviews.
The question is what could we, both individually and as an industry, learn from this amazing transformation and performance?
Professionalism is obviously a key factor and the costs of this shift can’t be ignored. It’s clear that any level of funding can prove vital in securing a stronger platform on which to better perform, grow and rise to the top of any chosen field. But only when invested with due care and attention. Not that money is everything. Success also depends upon a combination of raw talent, an appetite to learn, ability to work hard and being able to identify and implement a winning strategy.
Like any business, large or small, the strategy behind any plans for growth have to be thought through correctly, resources allocated correctly and the correct personnel engaged in order to follow the plan correctly. A gold medal may sometimes seem like an individual achievement but there are a number of people behind the scenes who have helped make it happen. A swim of 57.13s (Adam Peaty), a row of 7:18.29 (Heather Stanning & Helen Glover) or a run of 13:03.30 (Mo Farah) only reflect a tiny amount of the time ‘invested’ by them and their support teams over a number of years.
Preparation is an often underutilised word in the world of business but certainly not so within the sporting field. And it goes way beyond that of the individual. For example, the British Olympic Association is set to finalise a deal on a Tokyo preparation camp (the next host) in October, after having already made three reconnaissance trips. Individual sports must also submit detailed plans for Tokyo to UK Sport by December before learning what level of investment they will receive.
A telling comment also came from Simon Timson, UK Sport’s director of performance, who said: “The difference between us and other countries is that we take a long-term, strategic approach, thinking in an eight-year cycle, so we already have athletes who have been training for years with a view to Tokyo 2020.”
It’s this kind of forward-thinking and attention to detail which is paying dividends. So let’s all take a moment to evaluate exactly what it takes to be a medal winner. Then think about how we could apply a select few of these qualities and philosophies into our work place, existing business or future business plans. Then who knows what opportunities might present themselves over the next Olympic cycle.
