The 2012 New Zealand Olympic campaign should be judged an outstanding success - six gold medals, two silver and five bronze. Fifteenth on the overall medal tally is a great effort for a nation of four and a half million people. On a per capita basis, New Zealand was placed fourth overall.
So, are we doing enough to maintain these results and hopefully improve them?
The most pleasing aspect of the 2012 Games is the performance of rowing, with three gold and two bronze medals. For the past four years rowing has had the benefit of a world-class high performance centre at Karapiro, with world-class coaching and support services to match. That is a recipe we are in the process of delivering for other targeted sports.
In 2010, the Government approved funding for a new high performance sport strategy, lifting funding from $40 million to over $60 million a year through to 2014. Most of this funding is flowing through to athletes in the form of enhanced grants or services, but some is providing capital for cornerstone investments in high performance facilities.
The largest of these is a new velodrome and centre of excellence for cycling in Hamilton. The Government has invested $7 million in this $28 million project.