Sport's world of privilege

While the Tories attempt to claim credit for British athletes' Olympic successes and spout platitudes about the need to build for the future, their interest in sport, as in other spheres of life, is in elite achievements rather than improving access to sports facilities and coaching for all.

When the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition put together its government agreement, it pledged to "seek to protect school playing fields."

But it omitted the get-out clause that this pledge was conditional on no-one seeing private profitable opportunities in them.

The Tories waged an undeclared war against state school sports facilities in their time in office from 1979 to 1997, operating on the basis that if children were interested in sport parents could enrol them in private clubs.

Around 10,000 school playing fields were sold off during that period for housing, school buildings and other developments.

It mirrored the sell-off and transformation of local authority swimming pools into private gyms or leisure centres that often proved too expensive for low-income families.

Possibilities still remain for sport-obsessed youngsters to make a mark for themselves, but it requires a much greater commitment from them than from the comfortable 7 per cent of children who are sent to private schools with state-of-the art facilities and professional sports coaches.

It is ironic that it took Lord Moynihan, a former Tory sports minister and hereditary baron from precisely that privileged background, to point out that it was "wholly unacceptable" that half of the British team's medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 were won by those schooled in the private sector.

However, adjudging a situation unacceptable does not necessarily indicate an awareness of how to change it.

Moynihan went on to say: "There is so much talent out there in the 93 per cent, which should be identified and developed and given equal opportunity through a sports policy that reaches out to able-bodied and disabled children whatever their background."

But how should that be done and how should it be financed?

There has been a sizeable increase in funding for the top end of elite sport, especially in athletics, canoeing, equestrianism, rowing, sailing and swimming, which has brought results in terms of medals.

About 60 per cent comes from the National Lottery - overwhelmingly the result of working-class participation - and 40 per cent from Treasury funds, which depend on the taxes borne disproportionately by working people.

The same applies to the privileged education sector enjoyed by most coalition Cabinet members.

Many of their schools, such as Eton College, are designated as educational charities enabling them to benefit from tax breaks, courtesy of the rest of us, to provide the most exceptional facilities for their students.

Among these is the Eton Dorney rowing centre, owned by the college, where the Olympic rowing events take place.

The picture for sport, as with so much else, is one of division - an elegant sufficiency for the rich and the scraps from the table from the rest of us.

Public funding of the medal-seeking elite is justifiable, but at least as important is investment in the sporting grass roots, especially in state schools, and a phasing out of educational privilege.