Rio 2016: Australian medal tally ‘not what we expected’, $114 million per gold medal, by Ben Worsely at the ABC. No questioning of whether we the taxpayer ought to be funding this, just reporting a government employee asking for more money.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has admitted Australia’s medal tally at Rio was lower than anticipated and he wants to see funding for Olympic athletes revamped. …

With two days of competition left, Australia’s medal tally stands at 27 — seven gold, ten silver and ten bronze. …

“You have to look at who we’re competing against and how they’re being funded. Basically we’re at about $800 million over four years for elite sport. The Brits, Germans and French are up to $1.3, $1.4 [billion], and I suspect that Japan is up there now,” he said.

$800 million is $32 from every man, woman,and child in Australia. For seven gold medals. To say nothing of the huge effort from the few hundred athletes involved, but that’s their choice. Our taxes were collected by threat of force — there’s a moral difference. That $800 million was  scoured out of the fading part of the economy that is still producing goods that are needed and wanted.

Imagine if the tax forms had a check box asking if you wanted to donate to the Olympic effort, and a box where you nominated how much you wanted to contribute. Right next to the box for your ABC funding. Compulsion is the hallmark of today’s left; not persuasion any more, just bullying and force.

hat-tip Philip Barton