When it comes to the Olympic Games the International Olympic Committee is very specific as to what it views as a team event.
Their definition of a team sport is as follows:
• In team sports, the entire game or match revolves around team dynamics.
• The outcome depends on collective performance throughout the entire duration of the match.
• The teamwork, strategy, and coordination among team members are crucial for success.
• Do not include individual or individual-to-team events within a sport.
This means that relays are not classified as being a team event, even though some have the word “team” in their title.
In simple terms the International Olympic Committee characterises ‘team sports’ based on the impossibility or impracticality of executing the sport as a single-player endeavour, and the entire game or match relying on team dynamics. Relay races and the like, are viewed as events where individual performances contribute to a team’s overall success.
Of course one should not forget that when creating the modern Olympic Games Baron Pierre de Coubertin did not want any team sports to be included. Maybe that is where these words uttered by him come from “A better world could be brought about only by better individuals.”
Yet today there are more team events than ever. Heading into the Paris Olympic Games it is fair to say that Australians were led to believe that many of their team sports would come home with medals.
Out of the 461 athletes – 205 men & 256 Women – representing Australia in 33 sports in Paris, Australia won 53 medals, and 18 of those won were gold. This was Australia’s most successful Olympic Games ever.
Australia had representatives in the following team events: Women’s football, Men’s and Women’s Rugby 7’s. Men’s and Women’s Hockey, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, and Men’s and Women’s Water Polo. Only two of these teams ended up on the podium, the Women’s Water Polo team that claimed silver, and the Women’s Basketballers who won bronze.
All of the other teams failed to medal. In hockey both teams bowed out at the Quarter final stage, as did the men’s basketballers. In Rugby Sevens both teams made it to the semi finals, but were defeated and then lost the bronze medal match. In water polo, while the women medalled the men finished seventh. Th Matildas did not make it out of their pool in the football.
So of the 53 medals won only two came from what the IOC classifies as team sports.
Looking at where the various teams ranked heading into the Olympic Games should Australia have done better?
Although it is important to remember that the Olympic Games are unlike any normal event in any sport, as there is so much going on around you. Things can go wrong and you can easily be distracted. For some the food hall is a major distraction, with so many different cuisines on offer.
Heading into Paris in Basketball the men were ranked 6th and the women 5th, so it is fair to say that both teams certainly lived up to expectations, and the women possibly went beyond those expectations.
Again in Water Polo, while being ranked higher than their male counterparts heading into Paris – Women 6th and Men 9th – the men finished 8th. So where their ranking would suggest, while the women took home the silver medal, so performed above what many would have expected.
In Football the Matildas were being hyped up as medal contenders; some would say unfairly. A great deal of this hype was based on their reaching the semi-finals as hosts of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. Truthfully, as great as that performance was to those in the know there were concerns heading into the Olympic Games. They were up against Germany and the USA in their pool, both teams that were eliminated early at the world cup, and who had a point to prove. They also faced Nigeria, who like most African teams can cause an upset, and very nearly did. What was heavily exposed was the tactical ineptitude of their now departed coach, Tony Gustavsson. While this was on show for all to see at the World Cup, the team’s advancement in the tournament saw the issue ignored by many.
The outcomes were pretty much as expected, losses against the USA and Germany and a win over Nigeria, albeit a much harder fought win than many expected.
Heading into the Olympics in Hockey, Australia’s men who had won silver in Tokyo had climbed back to fourth on the FIH’s World rankings courtesy of their victory in the Pro League. The women were sitting fifth. The women finished fifth, and had a video-umpiring decision gone the way most people viewed it, they may well have improved on that. The men finished 6th. Again those who follow the game closely were not surprised that Germany who were ranked 5th, and India who were ranked 7th finished among the medals with the World number one the Netherlands. (Making Sense of Sixth – And Fifth)
Was Hockey once again a victim of Australian media hype that comes around every four years?
When it came to Rugby Sevens again there was a strong belief that Australia would win a medal, even though the men had not medalled at the previous two Olympic Tournaments, and the women last medalled when they won gold in 2016. Heading into Paris the women were ranked 7th and the men 4th, so possibly there was reason to hope with the men. However if one read some of the press they were assured a medal. Both teams did their country proud, making the bronze medal matches, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be their year.
Which shows that most of Australia’s medals came from individual events or relay events where individuals are once again a key component. Seven gold medals came from Swimming, along with nine silver and three bronze. This was no surprise as Australia regularly collects its bulk of medals in this event, and a 35% of the total medal haul is again a good return. Cycling is another sport in which Australia has a proud history, and they won 15% of the nation’s medals with three gold, two silver and three bronze. That is over 50% of Australia’s medals coming from two sports
What was impressive was the return from Track and Field where Australia won one gold, two silver and four bronze medals. Canoeing won five medals, with three gold, one silver and one bronze which again was an outstanding return. .
In 2023/24 High performance swimming for able-bodied athletes received $12,030,000 in funding. Cycling received $8,720,000.
Here is some of the funding that National Sporting Associations of some of the sports that Australia medalled in received from the Australian Sports Commission in 2023/24 for High Performance able-bodied athletes, along with the team sports:
Athletics – $7,315,000
Basketball – $5,992,500
Football – $2,246,000
Hockey – $6,104,000
Paddle Sports – $7,225,000
Rowing – $10,566,500
Rugby $3,062,000 $
Sailing – $9,131,000
Water Polo – $3,058,000
The total given to sports in this sector was $112,397,400. The investment information is available here .
Looking at these figures one has to ask does investment result in medals?
Looking at these Olympic Games Australia’s individual athletes shone. When it came to team sports some struggled, while some came very close to winning a medal, so can anything be read into the performance of team sports against individual performances?
Baron de Coubertin was many things, and some have said that he was a dreamer. One of his dreams resulted in what we know today as the Olympic Games. However, the Olympic Games has moved a long way from how he envisioned the Games to be. One famous quote of his was “All sports must be treated on the basis of equality.” Those days have long gone, now money talks, and equality amongst nations in terms of their investment in their athletes is poles apart. Some will tell you that it is not just the difference in nations, but in some nations the difference between sports.
Yet even those who claim that miss the key point, and that is that sport is not purely about the elite and high performance programs. Where did these athletes start?
The most important aspect is to have people playing sport, especially the youth. The more you have playing, the more champions of the future you will unearth. This is where the investment is needed, especially when it comes to team sports. Junior and Youth sport should not be a source of revenue as is becoming the case. Look at the exorbitant fees for children to play sport, juniors having to pay to attend trials to represent their state, and then when they are picked they have to pay for the honour, and in some sports they do not have just one state team competing but two! As was warned a while ago this system only generates the best payers, not the best players, and you need the best players to win World Championships and Olympic medals.
Hopefully if we return to this system the best players will indeed be rewarded with recognition, rather than being replaced by better athletes who coaches claim they can turn into top players.
Pitches, facilities, and high fees are all proving restrictive at grassroots level, and the clubs who develop the next champions are the ones bearing the brunt of these issues. What is more worrying is that they have no voice when it comes to running the sport, or even electing those charged with overseeing their sport.
While Australia can be proud of its Olympic medallists, and the individuals themselves should be proud, there is a warning sign that needs to be taken heed of. As a nation our National Sporting Associations have to start investing at grassroots especially in team sports.
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