Anatomy of a Olympic Team - Research Paper Example

Unfortunately, the British Swimming Team turned up with only three medals, rather than the expected target of five to seven medals. This paper is all about researching and analyzing the various factors related to how the British Olympic Association’s systems and culture, the external influences on the team, individual athletes’ characteristics and the overall elements influencing the team, had an impact on the performance of the British Swimming team. From this analysis, one can discover how successful the British Swimming Team has been in achieving its targets, satisfying its swimmers’ needs, and preserving its team’s survival on an international level (Parliament UK 2010; Pullbuoy 2012; Swimpsych 2012).

One of the first things related to this analysis that should be considered is the goal that the British Olympic Swimming Team was aiming to achieve; a target of five to seven medals for the 2012 Olympics. This goal was not an unrealistic one, as it was based on various statistics. For instance, the number of finalists that had qualified for the Games was almost four times the number of finalists that had qualified back in the 2000 Olympics. Also, if the average number of medals won by the British Swimming Team in global swimming events in the last nine years is considered, the number comes up to approximately five.

Furthermore, the number of swims was greater than it had been since 1992 and it is noted that 40% of the swimming team had swum faster in 2012 than in 2011. These statistics, along with the record of the highest number of swimmers in Britain’s Olympic history to qualify for the finals, prove that, in theory, a target of five to seven medals was certainly a realistic one. However, even though there were promising signs about the team completing the target, issues have been raised concerning the level of performance achieved.

True, the statistics stated above are not the only factors that can control the team’s performance. Nevertheless, the performance of individual swimmers can certainly be controlled; estimates were made using the best swimming times of individuals in relays from 2006, 2007 and 2012-2012. If, hypothetically, it is assumed that a swimmer can produce their best time in the heats, semis and finals, it was found that only 4 out of 49 swims produced personal best performances, while 8 out of 49 swims produced textile best times.

This low quota of best times rightfully proves that the British Swimming Team was not sufficiently prepared, resulting in it facing a high level of difficulty. Had it been so, the results of the 2012 Olympics would have been greatly improved, as their targeted goal was an easily achievable one (Pullbuoy 2012). Another aspect that should be considered is the characteristics of key swimmers in the Great Britain Swimming Team. The team has a record breaker in their midst, in the form of Michael Jamieson, a first class Scottish swimmer.

He won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics after competing in the 200 meter breaststroke and has broken the British record at least 3 times. His skill set comprises mainly of the breast stroke technique and the butterfly technique. Jamieson’s coach, David McNully, speaks highly of him and is always on his toes to help Jamieson improve his technique. Jamieson has always been taking swimming seriously, always improving and very self-motivating. They might not have done so well in the 2012 Olympics, but with Michael Jamieson in