Winter Olympics Sochi 2014

I have just sat down to watch Lizzy Yarnold in her skeleton bob event at the Sochi games. Is this indicative of the importance of the Winter Olympics in our minds with only a small team of less than hopefuls to watch. We have this habit of only watching / supporting our own rather than watch the sport. I have limited my viewing to those sports where you win with a better score or time rather than be judged. My watch list includes curling, downhill and skeleton bob. I am also sure I will watch some ice hockey as the final gets close. 

This of course is not a dig at the athletes but a question of why do we participate in sports where we have no facilites and no snow? If you are fortunate enough to have loads of cash then you can travel to the cold spots and train, but I think it is all over rated and really think the funds could be better directed at traditional sports, where kids can take part in at an early age and still have the opportunity to do it later in life. If you think about the the 30 billion dollars spent by Russia to stage these games it brings into persepctive how good London 2012 was. The Russians have presented great facilities and appear to have organised everything very well but surely the price is too high. I am not sure there will be a legacy for winter sports here once the games have gone. The chances are better with the World Cup and F1 track coming up in the next few years.

I hate to be a kill joy but I think the Olympics for these sports is too much, they already have their own world championships and world cups. It is a bit like football at the Olympics, it is a joke, everyone wants to watch the top pros and not the Tuvalu team.