The Legacy of 2012
With preparations for the London Olympics well underway, the latest round of funding announced by UK Sport made a clear statement that basketball is well placed on their list of priorities.
Team GB Basketball seems to be increasingly important as far as London 2012 goes, and despite the requirements for them to take their place in the Games seemingly vague, nobody can doubt the vast improvements made by the team. In qualifying for this September’s Eurobasket competition in Poland, Team GB are beginning to prove that they are competitive with Europe’s elite teams.
The British squad is a team of great contrasts, with players playing domestically, across Europe and with the addition of NBA superstar Luol Deng, they now have a leader who is recognized as one of the best players in the world.
You would think team spirit may be difficult to foster between UK based players who receive a £70 per day allowance whilst on international duty and the star attraction Deng. who last year signed a six-year $71m contract with Chicago Bulls, but all the signs so far are good, with the team going from strength to strength since Deng’s arrival.
The transition to European superpower will not be without its complications as last year’s insurance cost fiasco which threatened Deng’s introduction to the squad shows, while the fears over a loss of overall funding for Team GB are sure to worry those at the top of British Basketball.
This makes the huge increase in funding from UK Sport even more impressive, and will enable the team to continue its growth. In agreeing to pay almost £250,000 in insurance costs so that Deng could play, a payment described by British Basketball performance director Chris Spice as “the best use of our funds in the circumstances", Team GB have demonstrated their absolute commitment to becoming competitive on the international stage in time for the Olympics.
With the hopeful introduction this summer of fellow Chicago Bulls superstar Ben Gordon , as well as the recent NBA success of established Team GB star Pops Mensah-Bonsu, the team looks well placed to make a real impact over the next three years. With a number of British youngsters in the American college system, there are strong hopes that Team GB will have even more players who are part of the NBA-elite come 2012.
The recent announcement that the £60m, 12,000 seat stadium would only be a temporary structure for the duration of the Games was a blow to the hopes of a lasting legacy for basketball after 2012, but the appetite for basketball in Britain is clearly growing, as evidenced by the four-team tournament that Team GB are hosting at the O2 Arena in August alongside Israel, Poland and Turkey.
As funding and interest reaches new heights, everything appears to be going to plan for Team GB basketball, which is music to the ears of those who have pushed to make this long-held dream a reality.
No comments:
Post a Comment