McColgan wants earlier investment

By Andy Campbell

McColgan won silver at the Seoul Games in 1988

Olympic silver medallist Liz McColgan has challenged funding bodies to invest in Scottish sport much earlier to ensure success at major tournaments.

The former long-distance runner believes talented athletes slip through the net because they do not get funded until they are in their late teens.

"I think we miss the boat an awful lot because we let really talented young ones go by the wayside," she said.

"A lot of nations approach the talented youngsters a lot younger than we do."

McColgan, who won silver at Seoul 1988, is now involved in coaching and believes the current methods of recruitment and nurture need to be improved.

"The governing bodies tend to say they're too young to be funded now because they might never make it," she said in the wake of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

"We don't go in there and identify them young and put them in the national squad at the age of 13 or 14.

"We, as a sport, wait until 17, 18 and then start putting them into squads and on funding."

The three-time Commonwealth Games medallist also fears the current system may hinder success at the Olympics in London in 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

"We really need to be looking at the junior side of the team," said McColgan. "Realistically, in 2012, it's the 18-year-olds that will be to the forefront and I think that a lot of investment has to be put into that area now.

"And it's not just for 2012. We're also looking at Glasgow in 2014. We want a really strong Scottish team and, if that's the case, you have to be looking at your 18-year-olds.

"The best at their disciplines and their sports have to be funded and trained in the right manner so that, in the next 4-6 years, they're peaking. The older ones are not going to peak at that time.

"The governing bodies have to get it right now because if we've got the whole nation behind us supporting 2012 and the whole of Scotland behind us supporting 2014 and we don't get any medals then you're going to let the whole nation down.

"Everyone gets really excited when they start seeing people getting the medals. You saw that this year.

"People would be talking about sports that they had never even watched before because somebody got a gold medal in it. It just catapults your sport to a whole new level and there's more attention on that sport."

Team GB had an impressive success rate in Beijing, which included medals for Scots David Florence, Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar.

"It was one of the more spectacular Games," said McColgan. "I think a lot of people could learn how to put the Games on from the Chinese. They did a great job.

Beijing has changed a lot of kids' perspectives of what level they can reach in their sport Liz McColgan

"It was very much suited to the athletes that were there and the medal haul of Team GB has been pretty successful.

"We're going in the right direction with the sports that we've got in Great Britain. Obviously, some sports didn't fulfil their medal haul, but most of the sports did really well and it just shows, especially looking towards 2012, that we're on the right pathway for being successful.

"Some of the Scottish participants in the different disciplines did exceptionally well. I think we can have a really positive attitude now that we've got some good Scottish role models coming back with medals that are going to really inspire the kids of Scotland.

"I see it already from the people that I coach that are at a good standard. Whereas before they would be saying, 'I'd love to be on the Olympic team and be part of it all,' they're now saying, 'I could probably get a medal too if I work hard'.

"It's changed a lot of kids' perspectives of what level they can reach in their sport and I think that's a really positive thing that's come back."