Editorial: Winter Olympics team failed to fire

OPINION: As Vancouver's two-week, $3 billion party winds down, the inevitable post-mortem begins.

These Winter Olympics had the shakiest of starts to recover from, after a fatal luge practice run by a Georgian athlete on the opening day. Meanwhile, warm weather meant athletes and organisers had to contend with rain rather than snow, while one of four cauldron arms supposed to join together to light the Olympic torch malfunctioned during the opening ceremony.

Some performances also failed to follow the script. Most notably, the United States beat Canada in their preliminary round in the ice hockey competition – a huge early upset for the hosts. And on the subject of being upset, how about Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer, first home in the 10,000 metre race but disqualified for an improper lane change? Worse, Kramer had changed correctly but his coach missed it and motioned for his skater to switch lanes, meaning goodbye gold. The sporting arena can be a cruel one at any level.

However, for this country the main question is whether a New Zealand team should have even been in Canada courtesy of the New Zealand taxpayer. The performances were not bad enough to make this country's winter Olympians international laughing stocks. However, they have been, at best, underwhelming.

Given that we've had just one placing ever – Annelise Coberger won silver in the slalom in 1992, the first person from the Southern Hemisphere to win a medal at a Winter Olympics – expectations were never high. However, none of the team of 16 Kiwis in Vancouver made the top 10 in any event; four of them managed to make the top 16. One, a ski cross competitor from Queenstown, placed 30th of 35, totally failing to fire. It would have taken a miracle – say, the top eight sliders all inexplicably falling over while starting their final sprints – for our top finisher, skeleton racer Ben Sandford (11th), to bring home a medal.

The team's overall results suggest the $1 million that New Zealand representation in Vancouver cost the NZ Olympic Committee – in other words, the taxpayer – was not well spent. Perhaps some of it might be seen as an investment in the future. Last month's experience might encourage a speedskater or skier to train harder and do a little better in 2014.

However, a place in an Olympics team, summer or winter, should never be offered lightly. What, then, was the NZOC thinking in sending 16 athletes plus officials to Vancouver?

The Government talks tough on fiscal responsibility. All aspects of taxpayer spending are said to be under scrutiny. Our funding of athletes – from internationally-based yachting teams making farcical claims on the public purse to modest achievers in barely known Winter Olympic events – should be subject to similar perusal.

It is appropriate that encouragement be given to a wider range of sports in this country. However, it is also worth pondering what more might have been done with the $1m which melted away before our eyes in Vancouver.

- © Fairfax NZ News