Oh, and to the Irish Times – if you’re going to compare the performance of the Olympic athletes to that of Padraig Harrington, would you do a fuller comparison? Like, say, pointing out that he earned more money from his first British Open win than the Department of Sport had for its entire Sports Capital grant fund in an olympic year? Or that his most recent win, valued at about €200 million, exceeds the entire budget allocated to sport in this country at all levels for the past four years?
The most lavishly supported Olympic athlete in Ireland might clear a hundred grand in a year if they’re very, very lucky. Harrington could spend that on a weekend away without breaking a sweat. Or, more to the point, he could spend it on hiring a professional coach to work with him 24/7 for a year. Find me an Olympic athlete who can afford to do that and you’ll have a reasonable comparison.