Are GB swimmers sunk by poor facilities?

Team GB's swimmers have yet to break their medal duck and are in danger of failing to claim a podium spot for the first time since 1936.

But why are Britain's swimmers failing in their bid for glory? Is a lack of adequate training facilities to blame? Or are Britain's swimmers simply not good enough?

One of Britain's best medal hopes, Commonwealth and European champion Sue Rolph, failed to qualify for the 200m individual medley final and was critical of the training facilities in Britain.

Rolph, who is based in Newcastle, compared the facilities in Sydney with that of her home town which does not have a 50-metre pool, and believes that Britain must provide improved facilities if our swimmers are to compete at the highest level.

Britain's total of 50-metre pools runs just into double figures, and although plans are in place for an Olympic-size pool for Newcastle, it will not be ready for another four years.

With a state-of-the-art velodrome built in Manchester and funds to back it up, Britain's cyclists have had a sensational Games.

So are Britain's swimmers suffering because of a lack of facilities? Or is this just an excuse for a lack of talent?

Let us know what you think.

Yes, the lack of facilities is partly to blame - Australia has 1500 Olympic size pools to our 19. But it is also down to the fact that till recently many elite swimmers probably had to hold down full-time jobs as well as fit in a rigorous training regime. Whereas in Australia and the States they have dedicated and well funded programmes to nurture and develop the talent they have. It's no surprise that they have been so successful.
Richard, Scotland

I can't judge the training facilities for the GB swimmers, but I don't think they are worse than the ones in Holland. Off course those facilities are important, but maybe more important is to have a central club (like PSV in Holland) where the best swimmers can compete with each other and are guided professionally However, I don't think it's only the training facilities that counts. We are lucky to have two extremely talented swimmers now, but perhaps in 4 years time it's another country who has the natural born swimmers. That's what keeps it interesting!
Luc Brugman, Netherlands

Sue Rolph's comments about needing more 50m pools is a nice excuse but not true. Jeff Rouse the greatest backstroker in the world from 1991 to 1996 trained in a 25-yard pool. If it was down to the facilities why aren't City of Sheffield Swimming Club (the best pool in Europe) the best in the country and why don¿t they have any Olympians?
Stephen Tomlinson, England

One of Britain's problems is that we don't fund university scholarships for athletes

  Ian Turvill, USA

We must look at the situation from a long term point of view. Investment needs to be made throughout the UK in top quality swimming facilities, (the same goes for sport in general)which are cheap enough for all to access. We must address the situation at school level and offer children facilities from a young age. Then we might win some medals.
Ed, UK

Yes, the pools are not available but more invidious is the severe lack of importance placed on swimming in the secondary curriculum. There is far too much emphasis on field and ball sports. Good ball players are nurtured & catered for in school and in special after school training sessions but promising swimmers have to rely on local clubs which all to often are cliquey and have ridiculously long waiting lists.
Sue Oldreive, Wales

One of Britain's problems is that we don't fund university scholarships for athletes. Sponsorship creates great incentives for students to excel at sport!
Ian Turvill, Chicago, USA, formerly London, UK

A society in which there is a wide participation in sports is also a healthier one

  Steve Burston, England

Our country is filled with very oustanding talented sports men and women. However due to the lack of good facilities, funding and positive support, these talents are lost or not developed to their full potential. What a waste!
Bev, England

I think our swimmers are just not motivated and talented enough. It takes an awful lot of training and committment to be able to gain a medal and they just don't have that!
Connie Donaldson, England

Mark Lambert is mistaken. Extra money wouldn't be better spent directly on health or education. A society in which there is a wide participation in sports is also a healthier one. Sport is also a great educator in teaching self-discipline, team work and fair play. Spending on sport directly aids both health and education. Comparing our sports facilities to those in France, Germany, Australia or the U.S. it is clear what little importance is attached to sport by both government and local authorities. It's time this under-investment stopped.
Steve Burston, England

With a lack of funding, England is sure to fall further behind

  Art Luden, Australia

I'm afraid Sue is whingeing a bit. We have 10 (or more) 50m pools in this country, and only one international standard indoor velodrome. However the cyclists are doing a lot better than the swimmers. Does she think it's a coincidence that all the cyclists live in the Manchester area (or Paul Ratcliffe with a silver in kayak slalom lives in Nottingham)? All of these athletes have moved to where the top training facilities are. If not swimming in a 50m pool is stopping her from winning medals, why doesn't she move somewhere where there is one (or isn't she as dedicated as the cyclists and canoeists)?
Chris, UK

It's not just swimming that suffers but all sports. I live in Portsmouth were a number of the team GB swimmers come from. There are poor facilities here. Not just for swimming but for every sport. How can we expect these athletes to get up early every morning to train before the vast majority of us are even awake! My daughter is a gymnast and it is expensive to keep her training. There are no facilities or grants to help them. We may be loosing good athletes, whatever sport, because of the lack of resources. We seem to want to send money on 'white elephantine domes' rather than something to put pride back into our nation. Australia only has the same population as Greater London, it can't be difficult to find the talent, only the money and facilities to train them. Cycling has benefited from a lottery donation. I think that speaks volumes!
John Knight, England

The money spent on the Dome would have been better spent on sports facilities for all sports.

  Sylvia Smith, UK

The money spent on the Dome would have been better spent on sports facilities for all sports. There is now a chance to use the site but no one seems to want to develop a national sports complex and give our young people a better chance to participate in sporting events in the future.
Sylvia Smith, UK

Swimming is a national pastime of most Australians as we mostly live on the coast and have a warm climate. The government also sponsors athletes who have talent. With a lack of funding, England is sure to fall further behind. Concentrate on your strengths as a sporting nation - whatever they are.
Art Luden, Australia

The problem with facilities stretches far beyond the reach of swimming, the importance of an academy as in Australia appears vital, why not turn the millennium dome or at least part of it into one of the best facilities in the world.
John, UK

Concentrate on your strengths as a sporting nation - whatever they are.

  Art Luden, Australia

It has taken the Australians almost 20 years to get their co-ordinated plan together. This involved a national plan for facilities, coach education, athlete support, talent identification, relevant competition for the relevant swimmers, on a basis that is supported by all. Like so many things in this country, sport as a whole has suffered from a lack of investment for too long. That is now thankfully being redressed, but it must be sustained, or our national sporting pride will continue to diminish and we will develop as a race of chubbies who have no national icons to motivate us to get out and get fit. Sport 'is' important; don't believe anyone who says otherwise.
Brian McGuinness, GB

Swimming is a sport that has amateur status, but that requires professional commitment to compete on the world stage. Speaking as an ex-swimmer, successful at the national level, the decision to swim past secondary school age is difficult to make simply because of financial considerations. The lack of facilities is not the issue. Too much talent is lost because the countries best young swimmers are forced to decide between a career that will make ends meet, or a career in swimming with a highly uncertain financial future. More support for basic living is needed if we ever hope to compete for medals. The real question is where will this support come from?
Scott Powell, England

I am a swimmer for Guildford City Swimming Club and if find it also very difficult to compete in my southern counties competition as it is held at Crystal Palace, I know what all the British swimmers are feeling! Good luck to everyone else competing.
Darren Sims, England

Anyone who watched the final of the 4x200M men's relay will know that there is plenty of talent in the British team. Sue Rolph was right to say what she says - Newcastle needs a 50m pool by the next Commonwealth Games not the next Olympics. Some Lottery cash please! Anyone who has swum in a 50M pool will know that it is a completely different experience.
David Gray, uk

Speaking as an ex-swimmer, successful at the national level, the decision to swim past secondary school age is difficult to make

  Scott Powell, England

There is a reason most of the sports facilities in the US are named after people or companies. Most are built using private donations and/advertising dollars. Outside of public education, the US government has little to do with the funding of athletics. It starts with the community. If you want better facilities, fund-raise, volunteer, and pressure local leaders. There has to be public support.
Elizabeth, USA

You have to go back quite a number of years and see what they did right. With big sponsors and also from the cradle coaching approach, you may have time to improve. The cycling certainly did.
E.Waring, Canada

A poor workman blaming his tools seems to be part of the defeatist attitude of British swimmers
Diane, England

A friend of mine who lives in Perth recently told me that within a 5-mile radius of his home, there are 8 schools that have Olympic size swimming pools. This is before counting the number of Olympic size public pools in the area. A quick tally of the AUS vs. GBP swimming medals thus far suggests that there is a message that should be coming through loud and clear to the minister of sport.
Alastair Campbell, UK

A poor workman blaming his tools seems to be part of the defeatist attitude of British swimmers

  Diane, England

Our swimmers have done well, they have smashed British records and you cannot ask for more than that. Maybe it should be given more TV airtime. I know there are a lot of young swimmers and parents who get up very early in the mornings to train for local swimming clubs. Watching the Olympics and being able to see strokes underwater is very important to them. Well done to the British swimmers!
SP, UK

As an ex swimmer I know that elitist swimming in England still comes secondary to the public's requirements. Swimmers are up at the crack of dawn to be in the pool before the pool opens to the public and are back again in the late hours once public usage has finished. Is it not this that causes the majority of the problems? We want to be the best but time is not given to allow this! Access should be available 24 - 7 preventing this limitation on availability. These hours of a swimmer are extremely unsociable. Any athlete who wants to be the best has to devote their life towards this achievement, however in youthful years before this ambition is fully formed these hours create a large drop out in the sport.
Sarah Lowe, England

There are very few Olympic size pools in the UK. And our quality swimmers either need to find sponsorship to enable them to leave the UK to train in the USA or Australia or travel hundreds of miles in the UK to get water time needed to maintain a good standard. As an example of our lack of facilities let's consider the difference between our French cousins and ourselves. I believe there are more Olympic size pools in Paris than there are in England!
Mike Levett, England

To make the best if our potential talent we may need to generate more interest in swimming from an early age. I think that we need to take some time out to reflect upon the reasons for our lack of success. Throwing money at the sport will not solve all our problems overnight. We need to get our strategy right first and then we can start to invest.
Fiona Ross, UK

Throwing money at the sport will not solve all our problems overnight.

  Fiona Ross, UK

I used to be a national level swimmer and swam for the City of Birmingham for several years. The squad with which i trained with, which included Nick Gillingham and Suki Brownstone trained in a 25-yard pool? How can we possibly expect to reach finals, let alone challenge for medals when the equipment available to our swimmers is third rate, no money is introduced into the sport, and the poor athletes are unrecognisable in the British press! I gave up swimming at 16 because of exam pressure, and the lack of enthusiasm to continue purely because there is no reward. What we need is an injection of cash into the sport, develop screening processes to pick up talent like the aussies and get away from this couch potato society that is being created. Kids are now more likely to watch videos and play video games then go out and do something active.
Stephanie Wilkins, UK

We should pump more money into these areas, firstly to encourage more people to take up sports, and secondly, so that our existing sports people can train in decent places, and also train full time. When our country is performing well in sports, the whole nation feels better. I t has been proved that more money and better facilities can cause improvements, so lets keep going and take a leaf out of the French' book!
Sarah Hyde, Unites Kingdom

Australia has a population of 18 million, Britain has 57 million inhabitants, but the Australian government spends three times as much public money on sport. British athletes often have to hold down jobs as well as competing in order to afford their travel, coaching, treatment etc whereas in Australia as well as the superb facilities all this is funded by the state.
David Greenwood, England

It is very easy to put the blame on the facilities here in the UK. This hasn't stopped us winning medals in the past - just look at our record over the last 20 years in the pool. One has to question the preparation of the swimmers, as none of them appear to be producing best times. All the training this year will have been geared towards peak performance in Sydney and this is just not happening. Any athlete requires a 'taper' before a big event and it appears that the coaches have not got this right. The fact that nearly all our swimmers are below par must suggest that the final preparation has not been as fine-tuned as it needs to be.
Lisa Astbury, England

Australia has a population of 18 million, Britain has 57 million inhabitants, but the Australian government spends three times as much public money on sport.

  David Greenwood, England

I trained for 10 years with a current member of the British swimming team, and we are still in touch. I therefore know that it is not through lack of talent, or effort that we are not winning medals. We have to remember that swimming is something that rates very highly in Australian sporting and social timetables. Our swimmers are getting faster, British records are being broken, but compared to the Australians, our swimmers do not get the same backing. Although this has improved thanks to the lottery. My guess is the pendulum swings the other way at the velodrome or on the track next week.
Paul Fitzpatrick, UK

Not enough people care about swimming in this country. And now that we have no medal winners from the pool at the first Olympics since 1936, even fewer will. Where is the impetus to build more pools and get kids swimming going to come from now? I thought that Barcelona was bad, but then came Atlanta and now this. Maybe this Olympics will give us the kick up the backside that we've needed for far too long. World Swimming has moved on and we've got to move with it. Councils have to build and maintain decent pools and the education authorities must encourage kids to use them. Australia did it and look at them now. There is still hope for us yet.
Graham Steward, England

The facilities in other countries have always been better. The UK always seems to be playing catch up with regard to this. It's about time more money is put into local pools.
Lindsay Clayton, England

Although the results of our swimmers have been disappointing, we should recognise that the sport in this country has really moved forward in the last four years. The two medals we won in Atlanta were not representative of the overall standard of our swimming. Four years on and we will probably not win any medals at all but those involved in swimming in this country recognise that significant progress has been made. We now have many more swimmers who are capable of competing at the highest level. Of course we need better facilities and these are coming (albeit too slowly for our current swimmers) but at least there are now structures in place within the sport to better nurture the very talented swimmers that we have.
Duncan Maclaurin, UK

Australia did it and look at them now. There is still hope for us yet.

  Graham Steward, England

The overall poor standard of facilities can be directly related to poor performances in almost any sport. Britain's crumbling legacy of stadiums and arenas hardly inspires commitment and enthusiasm. It is not so much a dearth of talent, it is just that talented individuals are rewarded, supported and indeed pushed more in other countries. We will never succeed at international level until we take sport seriously. Perhaps the dome could be converted into the national athletics training stadium!
Neil Gilbertson, UK

Facilities are a big problem, in south Wales there is no Olympic sized facilities anywhere near that of the USA or Sydney. Many of welsh competitors have to travel to Coventry due to the poor facilities here. Seeing as the Empire pool was demolished for the Millennium Stadium. Maybe that is symbol of how swimming takes a back seat, compared to other sports.
Adam Lewis, S.Wales

I do not believe in defeatism. What I do believe in is that Champions train Champions (in any sport). While I would support any improvements in training facilities, equal effort and money should be put into improvements in coaching. If this means bringing in Champion swimmers from other nations we should be big enough to swallow our pride in the interests of realising a genuine improvement in performances.
Mike Richards, England

Everyone is shouting out for better facilities. Well why not turn the Dome into an international swimming centre?
Thomas David, England

Perhaps the dome could be converted into the national athletics training stadium!

  Neil Gilbertson, UK

Absolutely! I spent a year in Australia and was overwhelmed by the sporting facilities there, especially of the acquatic sort. There is literally an Olympic sized pool every 10-minute walk. I believe there are only 3 50-metre pools in the whole of the UK! How on earth are we supposed to compete on an equal footing?
Jo Orton, UK

For a small nation we have an incredible depth in most sports. It's no use Anita Lonsborough saying " in my day blah blah". You have to speculate to accumulate. We need top class facilities starting at junior level (I coach at club level), through schools to national level. Yes we have more facilities now, therefore we will see the rewards at the next Olympics. That's what Australia have done along with Holland (name another swim apart from Bruin and Van der?) As long as we attempt to do PB's you can't ask much more of our athletes.
Paul Levy, England

My daughter learnt to swim in Australia in a 50 metre outdoor pool, she was 5 years old at the time. She was taught how to swim correctly, no head out of the water allowed. Within a radius of 10 miles where we lived there were 4 other 50 metre outdoor pools. On our return to the UK there were two pools, neither was 50 metres and both leisure pools. My daughter who as what one coach said had nature ability, say she will not get up at 6.00 am and practice before spending a full day at school. She is right, schools in Australia include swimming as part of the school day, and I don't mean squeezed between maths and English and lasting 30 minutes (including changing time). So long as the present make do system exists we will reap what we sow. A few dedicate people trying to swim against the tide.
Vince Toman, England

Although facilities are not up to the same standard here as they are in Sydney, we still have 10 times the number of 50 metre pools as we do 250m indoor velodromes. Just look at the superb swimming facilities at Bath University. The difference, I suspect, is the support staff and infrastructure rather than facilities, we should concentrate on investing money in finding, developing and supporting talented athletes, coaches and other support staff as we have done in cycling.
John Smith, UK

Not winning gold medals is not a national disaster - surely it's better to spend the money on more worthwhile causes like health care and education

  Mark Lambert, England

The lack of decent swimming facilities in England are a direct factor in the lack of Olympic success. This coupled with the fact that the powers that be in swimming are inherently conservative does not help. The comments that were made on national TV were fully justified and very brave. I hope this wakes up all concerned with this sport and others. National identity is hard enough to find at present, perhaps a sport other than football could provide a much needed outlet.
Andrew Bray, England

Swimming facilties are generally poorer here than Australia - no question. But let's get this in perspective. Not winning gold medals is not a national disaster. Surely it's better to spend the money on more worthwhile causes like health care, education etc. Why should the minority who swim competitively (myself included) get a disproportionate amount of funds that could benefit a much larger number of the general population? And swimming in a 50 metre pool rather than my local 25 metre pool wouldn't make me a better swimmer.
Mark Lambert, England

The money for sport in the U.S.A comes from TV companies. They pay a huge amount of money to schools and colleges to televise their sports. The money then gets passed down to the community and schools sports facilities to develop new talent. They should try this in the UK rather than looking to the government all the time.
MK, U.S.A

Sport needs to be back on the agenda in our schools for pupils aged 5 to 16

  Dave Johnson, England

Lack of facilities does have something to do with it but we are also lacking in the kind of collegiate sports programmes that they have in America. Inter-college competitions in many sports are such a big deal in the States that the colleges will seek out the best players, from whatever walk of life, and offer them scholarships at Universities. We are obsessed with academic performance until a time like this when everyone is complaining about us not winning any medals. Nothing will ever change until we start changing the way that sport is recognised past the secondary school level.
Harriet Roach, England

Most pools in the UK are 25m which explains our success at the short course championships. The Australians have fifty metre pools, and an academy of sport where their athletes can concentrate on being athletes and not have to hold on to jobs. Until this happens in the UK we will fall further behind. I do not believe there is a lack of talent here, rather a lack of opportunity.
Peter Ward, England

Swimming is a prime example of a sport we were once good at, and now due to a lack of promotion and Britain finds itself lagging behind. Sport needs to be back on the agenda in our schools for pupils aged 5 to 16.
Dave Johnson, England

The current system of education not promoting, or at the very least, putting sports "on the back burner" due to financial constraints must have even more to do with the UK's current sports problems

  Angela Turnpenny, UK

Sports facilities are improving in some areas. Here in Bath we have some of the best facilities in the country and many GB Olympic athletes train here. But the facilities only opened 3 years ago and I believe that we have to be planning on at least a 6-10 year timescale. More important is getting as many people as possible involved in as wide a range of sports as possible, so the best youngsters can match up with their best discipline. The main public sports centre here is empty on a Saturday and Sunday. Where are the children and athletes of the future?
Saul Dobney, England

No-one can deny that facilities are essential to ensure participation at the highest level. But surely the current system of education not promoting, or at the very least, putting sports "on the back burner" due to financial constraints must have even more to do with the UK's current sports problems.
Angela Turnpenny, UK

Is it not about time we stoped wasting money on a Dome nobody wants or wanted and used lottery money to set up sports academies so we could be celebrating a multitude of golds and lifting a whole nation, not just a few with a large ego and wallet?
Andy, England

The British seem to lack the real desire to win. Maybe Jonathan Edwards was right and the swimmers should now be apologising to him. The Olympics should be the height of an athlete's career. If you can't be inspired now, when will they be? There are simply too many swimmers perorming well underneath their PB, when other nations' competitors seem to be finding new levels.In short, we have been pathetic and shambolic.
Phil Doran, UK

Surely double trap shooting does not receive as much funding as the swimmers, and yet a gold was still achived there

  LS, UK

Facilities or talent - I doubt very much that the number of Olympic size pools in the UK has reduced since Adrian Moorhouse, Duncan Goodhew and Sharon Davies were winning medals at various Olympics. Perhaps the reduction in number of school age children participating in sport generally, and those who do being drawn to those that promise big wages in the future, holds the answer.
Alistair Brumage, England

As a swimming coach in the UK. I am horrified at the poor standard of pools and facilities. Manchester has a state of the art pool for the 2002 games. Yet it also has some of the worst training facilites. I coached for 6 years at a facility that should have been condemed yet it was the only pool we could use. We need better facilities for the grass roots.
Paul Matthews, UK

Surely double trap shooting does not receive as much funding as the swimmers, and yet a gold was still achived there. So it must be lack of talent or interest, besides no-one even enjoys swimming lessons at school and the climate doesn't exactly encourage people either.
LS, UK

I think the problem is that at the moment we are only interested in leisure pools with big water slides. Personally, I don't know where the nearest 'proper' swimming pool is where I live, probably because there isn't one close by. I would definitely go swimming more often if we had more facilities, it would be a welcome addition to my fitness regime. So yes, it does appear that we don't have very good facilities.
Nathan Fletcher, England

The UK has one indoor velodrome yet the cyclists have managed to secure four medals on the track

  Andrew Powers, United Kingdom

Sue Rolph is correct - and we can't even get short course 25m pools built here! The new schools built in Falkirk which have 20m pools despite requests from the sporting bodies to make them just 5m longer. But it's not just about the swimmers - funding for national training and competition facilities is pretty dismal, most of it now diverted to beef up the education budget. The facilities built for the Manchester Commonwealth Games will help, but they are only in one city (except the shooting which is near London) and we need top class facilities all over the UK.
Donald McIntosh, Scotland

How can our athletes ever hope to compete against the best in the world when they have poor or no facilities to train in? In the 21st century our athletes should not have to be training in public centres where time is limited, we should have dedicated training centres. We have places like the water sports centre in Nottingham, but it's not enough. If we want to compete with the best, then our athletes need the support and facilities that the rest of the world's best have. Our athletes can't win if they can't train.
Debby Towers, UK

The lack of facilities argument just doesn't wash. The UK has one indoor velodrome yet the cyclists have managed to secure four medals on the track. You don't hear them complaining about a lack of facilities, instead most of the track cyclists have moved to the Manchester area to make full use of the velodrome. To become an Olympic medallist you have to make a lot of sacrifices and moving closer to the best facilities is a small one.
Andrew Powers, United Kingdom

Just looking at the results of both this and previous Olympics there seems to be a link between good training facilities and coaches and results in any sport. So we need to need improve all our sports facilities and to have multiple sites so that we don't regionalise our sports.
Anthony Jackson, UK

If we put the money and commitment that Australia has put into sport at State and National level we would be winning medals and finding talent too

  RR, UK

Our swimmers have no chance untill there are better facilities available.
John Jacey, England

I agree totally with the point made about UK facilities. It's across every sport. I lived in the US for a while an no matter where I went there were good public facilities for kids to use. I stopped once to watch an American football game going on in a rec center. I turned out to be a Pee Wee game for 6 years olds. The whole thing was a perfect mini representation of the real thing. Every kid was kitted out. There were sisters/classmates cheerleading, a commentary box, refreshment stand etc. These kids have the full opportunity to develope from a young age and are used to the "big" occasion when the time comes. Contrast that with Sundy football here where amatuers teach amatuers. Lots of soccer gets played here so we assume that a good quantity of quality players will come through. No so if facilities and training are provided and we are left to parks and "uncle Jim who knows a bit about the game"
Gary James, England

If we put the money and commitment that Australia has put into sport at State and National level we would be winning medals and finding talent too. We don't, and this is the result. I feel sorry for the athletes, drugs are not the main problem for our athletes in finding a level playing field, government indifference is
RR, UK

It is not a lack of facilities, I would say that it is a major lack of talent due to the fact that swimming is not a popular sport in this country. We should just face facts that we are not good enough or talented enough.
Darren Jacques, England