Its not winning but competing

Subject: It's not winning but competing.

"It is not winning but competing". This was the mantra which was used time and again when after competing, we had lost. It was our fall back position, an excuse for not being quite up to it when on the world stage.
The London Olympics were pretty unique.  We won gold in so many events, not least in cycling. The sight of our rowers and track athletes winning event after event was remarkable but this was particularly true in track cycling where we pretty much cleaned up all the golds as event after event the union flag was raised at the winners rostrum.
The cycling team had come on leaps and bounds, mirroring the success on the road on the continent with the road race pinnacle, the Tour de France being won, first by Bradley Wiggins and then by Chris Froome.
These successes stimulated the sport all over Britain and with serious lottery money equipping  Manchester and London with top notch cycling stadiums the serious business of training and winning at the top level seemed set for a long innings.

 The team had been the mastermind of Dave Brailsford  and the Australian Shane Sutton technical director. These men developed a such winning attitude that the team won 8 gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, a winning attitude based on a competitive win win attitude. They had to be tough they had to be ruthless to develop the right attitude and self belief which the team needed.

The women who were just as much a part of the euphoria which surrounded the team came out and demanded that Sutton be "investigated" for alleged remarks made to 

Jess Varnish, so called sexist remarks. Not in good enough form to be chosen for the Rio Olympics she was left out. Sore at her exclusion she sought Sutton's downfall and along with Victoria Pendleton and Nicole Cook accused him of not being empathetic enough, claiming he was ruthless in his drive to make them into a  winning team.

It is interesting that other women on the team, notably Laura Trott and Johanna Rowsell had no criticism of him or his methods.
Today a statement was released describing him as a man absorbed by winning but failing to support the women and not able to empathise with them as women.
The power women who level claims of sexism is a modern phenomena. The damage done is irrevocable. It has, like so many descriptions of behaviour such as , racism, homophobia, gender issues, so little which can be argued as a counter, other than a denial and a plea for using proper perspective before coming to judgement.
Management often men, are terrified of the claims the 'sisterhood' can make in this Politically Correct era and would rather surrender their 'brother, than risk the scratches of a feminist cause.
"Blown out of proportions" was the general comment and so a 'poor looser' , Jess Varnish has destroyed the man who with his intense drive and desire had developed the team into a fantastic winning proposition. His job was not to be a comforter a social worker a confidant his job was to be the person who's experience was mentor enough. His job was not to seek after the reason for their tears but to instil that attitude which says "we are the best"
As we return to being second best, satisfied with "just competing", content in our national obsession to be kind and liked, a little unsure when we win !!!