There are various forms of measuring the success of financial aid extended to young athletes, in particular when it comes to former communist countries or present-day Russia. State aid in this regard meant that Olympic gold showcased an otherwise undemocratic regime as being top of the table. Western countries in particular had a different approach, allowing young athletes to mature first, finish their high school education and then enter the world of amateur and at a later stage, perhaps, professional sports.Being an athlete is something special. You represent the world of fair play. You compete with and against other nationalities in the name of sport, not war. It is not that politics did not enter the Olympic arena; Tibet and China are perfect examples for a world that has become more aware about almost everything. In retrospect, if CNN and 24 hour news had existed during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the event perhaps would have taken off and if at all, with a much reduced level of attendance. Whether sport should become the victim of politics, or whether politics use sport wrongfully is part and parcel of this debate.
Turkey intended to set a new national record with regards to winning medals at the Beijing Olympics. Sport is sport, and victories are hardly predictable anymore. So instead of joining the chorus of commentators lamenting Turkish athletes' near no-show at this year's Olympics, I wish to point to a direction that may perhaps help create a more favorable climate for sport in general in this country.
A national system of sport aid (the wording taken courtesy of German organization Sport Hilfe, in its literal translation "sport support or aid") could become the new engine for helping Turkish youngsters entering the world of competitive sports. The setting up of a structure like this seems to have been overlooked for much of the past. How can it work? Young people, while being encouraged to enter a certain sport, will remain at school, to make certain that if their dreams become undone, at least their "normal" professional career remains in place.
It is a perfect example for a new public-private partnership (PPP) where the sports federations are in the lead with public (financial) backing and strong private investment and sponsorship efforts. While the sports federations would decide which youngsters or more mature athletes are worth the investment, other partners would come up with the money. Sponsors would be part philanthropic, part cash flow-oriented. One of the most important features of such a system would be transferring some of the athletes and public attention away from both soccer and basketball. There are many more sports out there that Turkish athletes could excel at.
The road to more medals or success in the sporting world in general will first of all lead via the individual, and then the collective spirit. Before athletes can proudly represent their nation in international events, they must have been prepared and trained as "individual" winners. Then the team spirit has to be built, not the other way round. It is a sign of a mature democracy when potentially successful athletes lend their good names to their own country, as opposed to the country forcing them to entering the world of sports for the wrong purposes.
The success of such an undertaking can initially be measured come the year 2012 -- London is beckoning! Nevertheless, it is a long-term effort perhaps not even bearing fruit in the relatively short period up until the London Olympics.
A side effect could be to one day renew İstanbul's efforts to become the host city of the Olympics.
