One rider per event in the 2012 Olympics

[Jaded]

BBC Sport - Cycling - Olympic qualifying change hits British medal hopes

Will they do the same for athletics & swimming? 

[David Martin]

BBC Sport - Cycling - Olympic qualifying change hits British medal hopes

Will they do the same for athletics & swimming? 

That is the Team pursuit buggered then..

[Rhys W]

Jeez, what are they trying to do to cycling?

Top marks for Dave Brailsford & BC for not letting this news get them down (see also: kilo/omnium debacle, making bikes commercially available...)

[MSeries]

Jeez, what are they trying to do to cycling?

Top marks for Dave Brailsford & BC for not letting this news get them down (see also: kilo/omnium debacle, making bikes commercially available...)

They are probably trying to stop any nation dominating any particular event by forcing then to diversify. British Cycling want to win evrything but imagine if we were only good at say match sprinting. We'd develop some top sprinters and perhaps get British riders into the final and Bronze ride off. That's us winning G,S & B. Not nice for other nations, not in the spirit of the games.  I don't know if there is currently an upper limit on the numbers from one nation now. Other nations would lose interest and statndards may drop.



I don't see this as a bad thing for British Cycling we have a broad base and a good system. Those that want to win and have the talent will still win. Events such as the Kierin (is that still in the Olympics ?) may benefit, it'll stop tactical riding from two athletes from the same country.

[andygates]

Jeez, what are they trying to do to cycling?

Open it up so the podium isn't all Brits.

It is our patriotic duty to whine like Australians.

[Jaded]

It would be good to see the same restrictions applied to Boxing, Gymnastics, Swimming, Athletics etc. surely?

[eck]

ISTR that, in Days Gone By, in athletics at least, any nation was entitled to one competitor per event, regardless of standard. They could have up to three per event but, in that case, they all had to meet the qualifying standard.
Or did I just make that up? 

[mattc]

Events such as the Kierin (is that still in the Olympics ?) may benefit, it'll stop tactical riding from two athletes from the same country.

That's a really good point (and applies to the other bunch events).

Cycling is (mostly) unique in this respect.

[SpaceBadger]

No one thought to change the rules before we were good when other nations were more dominant 

The recent Track World's were evidence that some other nations were upping their game e.g. the Aussies, so I don't see why this has been introduced.

[MSeries]

I don't know if other nations have ever been as dominant on the track as Great Britain was in 2008 though. The Worlds are something different, the last two haven't been qualifiers for the Olympics so those nations who are focusing on the Olympics don't give them as much emphasis. I'm not sure if 2011 or 2012 Worlds will be Olympic qualifiers, whichever is will be quite different to 2009 and 2010.