THE Olympics is over and, following on from their successes at the London event four years ago, the Great Britain squad has returned from Rio with a highly impressive haul of medals Rio (“Final flag day for team GB in Rio”, The Herald, August 22).

Finishing second in the table, behind the United States, represents a massive boost to a nation that not so long ago was among the also-rans of Olympic sport.

As a retired sports editor I was among those who thoroughly enjoyed the continued rejuvenation of our elite athletes, but some sense of perspective is required. At first glance the eminence of those who strut their pomp on the world stage would suggest that all has never been better in UK sport. Those more aware of what goes on backstage will, however, see a different story.

Welcome as it is, the principal difference between our top stars’ performances now and those of the dark days of not so long ago is down to one thin … lottery money. And that lottery money has gone towards elite athletes.

There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that sport at grass roots level has improved one iota. Listening to a radio discussion the other day on the subject, that point was reinforced. Success at the London Olympics four years ago led to no appreciable difference at all in those taking up sport; there has been no legacy.

This should not surprise. And there are two profound reasons for that. First, politicians, and by that I mean of all parties, have done nothing to reintroduce meaningful sport in state schools since the teachers’ strike of the mid-1980s (and I don’t blame the teachers for that action). At best, where there remains a will there is minimal sport in those state schools; at worst none at all.

These have been three wasted decades for our young folk with the accumulated health disadvantages that have accompanied them. Those same state schools in many instances have sold off their sports grounds and we have witnessed consistently rising levels of obesity among our young.

Related to that is the second reason for a lack of involvement at grass roots level: the relative absence of facilities in any reasonable population centre.

By all means enjoy the success of our Olympians, but don’t let’s kid ourselves that there has been some sort of transformation beneath that exalted level. That success hides a huge swathe of mediocrity brought about mainly through a lack of opportunity.

Where youngsters succeed from within the state school sector it is in spite of a system almost designed to thwart them.

Roger Graham,

23 Cullen Crescent,

Inverkip.

GENUINE congratulations are certainly due to all the medal winners in this year’s Olympic Games in Rio. Their successes will certainly reflect much credit on Great Britain, which no one would deny.

Many years ago, however, long before these wonderful athletes were born, Great Britain was held in even higher esteem as the engineering and manufacturing capital of the world. We had the greatest navy and armed forces protecting us. We were also renowned for providing some of the world’s greatest ships and locomotives, many of the world’s leading cars, aircraft and much, much more. Virtually every industry benefited from our inventions and innovation. We were an inventive production and trading nation supreme. Looking around today one would find it hard to spot a ship, a car or an aeroplane manufactured by a company owned in Great Britain.

The renown of our athletes justifies respect and pride, but apart from their successes we can only show the world our massive trading deficit, our huge banking industry manned at best by questionable management gambling with the public’s money, exporting little or nothing and massive inequality all fiercely protected by a Government against any form of real regulation. Sad but true.

Nigel Dewar Gibb,

15 Kirklee Road, Glasgow.