Basic HTML Version
Please note that the contents of Touchline are provided for general information only. No part of Touchline is to be construed to provide advice on any subject whatsoever.
Sportscover endeavours to ensure that the information contained in Touchline is correct at the time of publication, and cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions made.
For information on advertising in touchline, email us at touchline@sportscover.com
3 •
Editor’s Comment
In The News
4 • Wiggins wins Tour de France
4 • Stambridge United celebrate
historic milestone.
Insight
2 • Sportscover athletes on their way
18 • TV Now
30 • The Moneyball Phenomenon
31 • Tour de Farce
32 • Disordered eating in female
athletes
Focus
6 • Olympic Sports: Hockey
5 • Ric Charlesworth
8 • Jamie Dwyer
10 • Adam Commens
12 • Anna Flanagan
Feature Articles
14 • Painkillers
16 • Cashing in at the Olympics
26 • Mixed Martial Arts: Where next?
Risk Management Focus
24 • Safeguarding your Selection
Processes
Through Legal Eyes
28 • Have your office holders been
left holding the liability ball?
Spotlight on Sport
20
• Smart Jocks: Chess Boxing
22 • World Sports News
Roundup
34 • Sports Shorts
Steve Boucher
touchline@sportscover.com
touchline
The journal of sport, leisure & risk with an international perspective
Issue 13
CONTENTS
Well the games have finally arrived
and the sports fest is about to
begin. All of the planning, design,
construction work, and funding
have been focused on providing
a spectacular showcase of sport
over the next few months until the
closing of the Paralympic games on
9 September.
Last minute security issues aside,
LOCOG should be congratulated on
making sure that progress towards
completion of the games village and
venues was never in doubt despite
the appalling weather that the UK
has endured since May.
London has some tough acts to follow
and we will only know after the event
whether these Games have reached
the level of attainment that we saw
in Sydney and Beijing in particular.
But, if the weather is kind, there is
no doubt that the athletes will try to
surpass previous achievements and
raise expectation and excitement
levels as records fall, to provide us
with an amazing event.
There has been a lot of speculation
over the number of medals that will
be won by the top ranking countries.
Some of this speculation is pure
interest or national pride, but some
relates to business. Companies often
look at these major events as an
opportunity to promote themselves by
providing free products or refunding
the cost of purchases if their home
country manages to, for example,
exceed a certain total medal haul
or number of gold medals. Indeed,
Sportscover has seen a significant
increase in the months before the
Games of requests for contingency
insurance based on the number of
medals won by specific countries.
On this subject, a PwC report entitled
“Modelling Olympic Performance”,
which was published in June, is
a fascinating read. It looks at the
influence that factors such as home
country
advantage,
economic
performance, and the advantages
of a planned economy such as in
China, have in affecting the ability
to win medals. The report identifies
the correlation between population,
wealth and medal performance,
although this is not always the case.
A significant underperformer in this
regard is India. It also notes that home
countries punch above their weight,
partly because of the increase in
funding that usually occurs in a host
nation. This accounts for the report’s
prediction that China and Australia
will all do slightly worse this time
around. The effect was less marked
for Greece with the Athens Games.
The good news for Great Britain is
that PwC predict that it will outperform
the level of achievement in Beijing
and win fifty-four medals and
maintain fourth place in the medals
table behind a resurgent USA (113
medals), with China second, but with
a total that declines from the heights
achieved last time around (87) and a
still powerful Russia in third with 68.
These four head the table ahead of
Australia (42) and Germany (41).
Fascinating stuff! But in a month’s
time, we will know just how close this
predication is!
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!