** The Winter Olympics. Pointless Rich Sport? **

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** The Winter Olympics. Pointless Rich Sport? **

For the past 90 years, we've been reluctant to gather together as a Nation every 4 years, to get behind our fellow man for something called ‘The Winter Olympics.’ As you’re all aware this would be as some put it the ‘Cold Olympics.’ But to my mind, they mean more than that. Are we missing a bigger picture?

Let’s start by saying. The Olympics. How many of you have had the chance to run 100m? Or in fact try your hand at Long Jump? Swimming maybe? Possibly more? Yes? This just goes to show how accessible ‘The Olympics Sports’ are. Nowadays, Sport is a part of every child’s normal day just as having breakfast is or getting homework from school, but not so much for the ‘Winter Olympics.’ But why is this? 

Let’s remember that Sport is a mandatory part of school life. Some Sports more accessible than others. But why? Is it money? Is it the weather? Or something else?

Often we can be quick to think that the ‘Winter Olympics’ is something only accessible to ones who live where Snow is available all year round, but this is not exactly the case. Snow is evidently available in Scotland, & also England. More so the Lake District and even Country Durham, but more commonly then not it’s the whole country that is inaccessible to snow. 

So now we have two growing facilities becoming openly more available to the public. A dry ski slope, or indoor snow slopes. Although this proves to show that individuals can try their hand at these. None the less it brings more problems.

These facilities prove very costly, expensive to use, and area specific. Who’s to say that a child from a family with ‘no expendable income’. Who can’t necessarily afford to go Skiing, would actually be the ‘Gold Medal Winner’ for Great Britain? Unlike say, a child brought up to have unlimited access to these facilities, because of their own families extra expendable income.

Why is it children take an interest in ‘Winter Sports’ themselves? Maybe because the fact their families were able to afford Skiing holidays and so were gradually introduced. Unlike the child who may have never seen a foreign Country in their life, never mind a Ski Slope. 

I’m not one to put a dower on our GB athletes, or state the games ‘are bad.’ They've certainly trained hard. I just want to point out a fact that’s been brought about before. Even being written. Especially in a book called ‘Bounce’ by Matthew Syed. Entailing that ‘social background matters.’ About being in the right place at the right time etc… 

So remember although yes, enjoy watching the ‘Winter Olympics’. Enjoy cheering on our Team GB. I myself will be watching avidly. After all it only comes around every 4 years. But always remember. Have a think. How did they even chose that Sport? And how’d they get there? 

- James Hatton