英國奧運軍團能否重振帝國雄風?大綱
Great Britain came home from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with just one gold medal - two fewer than Kazakhstan - and a wounded national psyche. Sixteen years later, Team GB has been overhauled and rebuilt thanks to a machine-like agency flush with cash from the U.K. lottery that grooms British athletes. The result could be a record-setting performance here for the home squad.
在6月舉行的奧運選拔賽上，英國田徑運動員恩尼斯在慶祝勝利。1996年亞特蘭大奧運會，大不列顛只帶回了一枚金牌──比哈薩克斯坦少兩枚──和一顆受傷的民族心靈。16年後，得益於一個從國家彩票基金拿到充裕資金、專門培養英國運動員的機器般精密運作的機構，英國奧運代表團（Team GB）已經徹底改頭換面。結果就是英國隊有望在自家主場實現創紀錄的表現。Britain's quiet rise in Olympic competition over the past decade and a half - from winning a paltry 15 medals in 1996 to scoring 47 in 2008 - is a textbook turnaround story. The U.K. has turbocharged its Olympic apparatus in anticipation of the London Games, filling the coffers of the publicly chartered agency that grooms athletes; recruiting foreign-born competitors known as 'Plastic Brits'; importing top coaches; and ruthlessly focusing the country's efforts on events where it could win medals.
從1996年微不足道的15枚獎牌到2008年的47枚，英國過去15年在奧運會賽場的悄然崛起就是扭轉乾坤的典型案例。爲備戰倫敦奧運會，英國已經全方位鞏固自己的奧運配置，爲政府特許的運動員訓練機構注入資金，招募被稱爲“塑料英國人”（Plastic Brits）的出生在國外的運動員，引進頂級教練，並狠抓有機會贏得獎牌的項目。The outcome is that Britain could step out of the shadows from longtime Olympic powerhouses such as the U.S., China and Russia and make some headlines of its own. Goldman Sachs & Co. forecasts Britain will win more gold medals than Russia this summer, a potential upset that would mark a major milestone in Olympic history. The bank's analysts estimate Britain will win 65 medals overall, 38% more than it did in 2008.
結果是，英國有可能會走出美國、中國和俄羅斯等傳統奧運強國的陰影，並且還有望製造出一些頭條新聞。高盛（Goldman Sachs & Co.）預測英國今年夏天贏的金牌將超過俄羅斯，這種可能的結果或許會成爲奧運史上的一個重要里程碑。高盛的分析師預測英國將贏得65枚獎牌，比2008年多出38%。
'This is not about taking part. It's about winning,' said Liz Nicholl, chief executive of U.K. Sport, the agency tasked with winning Olympic medals for Britain.
負責英國奪取奧運獎牌事宜的機構“英國體育”（U.K. Sport）的首席執行長尼科爾（Liz Nicholl）說，不僅僅是參與，關鍵是要贏。
Nicholl predicts the U.K. will see its best performance in modern times this summer. 'I have no doubt about it, actually,' she said. Since persuading the government to hand over extra money in 2006, the U.K. team has enjoyed 'optimal funding,' she said.
尼科爾預測，今年夏天英國將看到自己在現代奧運史上最突出的表現。她說，事實上我對此毫不懷疑。她說，從2006年說服政府劃撥更多資金以來，英國隊就享受到了“最優厚的資助”。It wasn't always this way for British athletes. The disastrous performance in Atlanta was devoured by the British press, which pointed to tales of hard-up athletes, including that of two U.K. divers, Bob Morgan and Tony Ally, who hawked their official Olympic gear on the streets of Atlanta for cash.
英國運動員並非向來就享受着這種待遇。他們在亞特蘭大奧運會的糟糕表現遭到英國媒體窮追猛打，媒體指責運動員爲錢不擇手段，其中包括兩名英國跳水運動員摩根（Bob Morgan）和艾利（Tony Ally），他們在亞特蘭大沿街兜售自己的奧運隊服換取現金。The loss to Kazakhstan merited special scorn. 'A nation of goat-keepers and shepherds last night humiliated the might of Great Britain's Olympic team,' the Daily Mirror tabloid wrote at the time, decrying the indignity of losing to a country 'where locals use eagles to catch food.'
金牌數輸給哈薩克斯坦尤其遭到鄙視。英國小報《每日鏡報》（Daily Mirror）當時寫道，“昨晚一個牧羊之國羞辱了大不列顛奧運隊的威力”，譴責輸給一個“國民用老鷹捕捉食物”的國家是對英國的侮辱。The crisis prompted British politicians to divert money from the newly created U.K. lottery into a sports apparatus that would churn out medal-winning athletes and restore national pride.
這場危機促使英國政府將資金從新成立的國家彩票基金劃撥給一個能夠培養大批贏得獎牌的運動員以及重振民族威望的體育機構。That agency, U.K. Sport, was launched in 1997. It initially prioritized the few sports where Britain excelled - rowing, sailing, cycling and track and field - and focused on athletes within those sports who had a shot at medals.
這個機構就是“英國體育”，於1997年成立。該機構起初是重點抓英國擅長的那些項目，包括賽艇、帆船、自行車和田徑，並着重培養在這些項目中有望拿到獎牌的運動員。It was a hard-nosed approach. U.K. Sport even rooted out 'system blockers,' or athletes who were competing internationally but had passed their prime and appeared unlikely to win Olympic medals. From then on, U.K. Sport would provide ample funding to athletes - if they had a metallic future.
這是一個務實的辦法。“英國體育”甚至根除了“體制障礙”，也就是那些在國際上打比賽但已經過了黃金期而且不大可能贏奧運獎牌的運動員。自那時起，“英國體育”就能夠爲運動員提供充足的資金支持──前提是他們未來有贏獎牌的希望。'We are investing in the outcome of medal success,' Nicholl says. 'We are absolutely, unapologetically focused on that. So we will make the tough calls.'
尼科爾說，我們是在爲贏獎牌的結果投資，我們完全是以這個爲中心，而且對此問心無愧，所以我們要做出艱難的選擇。So intent was Britain on winning medals that it encouraged some high-performing athletes to switch into sports where they would have a better shot at making it to the Olympic podium. Rebecca Romero, for instance, won a silver medal in rowing at the 2004 Athens Olympics but was later encouraged to switch to track cycling, where she won gold in the 2008 Games.
英國想贏獎牌的希望是如此迫切，甚至鼓勵有些高水平運動員轉向其更有希望進軍奧運會的項目。羅梅羅（Rebecca Romero）就是一個例子。她在2004年雅典奧運會奪得賽艇項目銀牌，但後來被鼓勵換成了場地自行車項目，她在2008年奧運會上奪得該項目的金牌。The U.K. Olympic team started rising. It won 28 medals at the 2000 Sydney Games, 10th in the medal standings. Four years later it notched 30 medals. By 2008 in Beijing, its 47 medals ranked behind only the U.S., China and Russia.
英國奧運代表團已經開始崛起。2000年悉尼奧運會英國隊奪得28枚獎牌，在獎牌榜名列第10位，四年後奪得30枚獎牌，到2008年的北京奧運會，其47枚獎牌的成績僅次於美國、中國和俄羅斯。This year, Britain has even loftier hopes. The London Games will host the country's biggest and best-funded team ever, with 542 members. The athletes aim to fend off Germany and Australia to retain Britain's No. 4 spot in the overall medal haul. If they're lucky, they'll win more golds than Russia. 'I believe it's our strongest team since 1908,' said Martin Polley, a sports historian and author of the book 'The British Olympics.'
今年，英國有了更高的目標。倫敦奧運會將迎來該國曆史上規模最大、資金支持最雄厚的隊伍，共542名隊員。運動員們的目標是擋住德國和澳大利亞的攻勢，保住英國獎牌榜第四名的位置。如果他們夠幸運，說不定金牌數還能超過俄羅斯。體育歷史學家、《英國奧運史》（The British Olympics）的作者波利（Martin Polley）說，我認爲這是1908年以來我們實力最強的團隊。Britain enjoys a meaningful home-field advantage. Nations win 54% more medals when they are host countries rather than ordinary participants, according to Goldman Sachs calculations that measured Summer Olympics from 1972 to 2008.
今年英國有着很強的主場優勢。高盛對1972年至2008年期間夏季奧運會數據的研究顯示，參賽國家在擔任主辦國時贏得的獎牌數比不擔任主辦國時多54%。Perhaps the U.K.'s biggest hope is in cycling, where Chris Hoy became the first Briton in a century to win three gold medals at a single Olympics in 2008. Other British competitors with multiple past medals include Ben Ainslie, one of the best competitive sailors in history, and swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who won two golds in 2008.
也許英國最大的希望是在自行車項目。2008年，自行車運動員霍伊（Chris Hoy）成爲100年來第一個在一場奧運會贏得三枚金牌的英國選手。獲得過多枚奧運獎牌的其他英國運動員還包括歷史上最優秀的帆船運動員之一艾恩斯利（Ben Ainslie），以及在2008年贏得兩枚金牌的游泳運動員阿德靈頓（Rebecca Adlington）。Team GB is also relying on a raft of first-time medal aspirants. This is particularly so in track and field, where it recruited Charles Van Commenee, a Dutch coach controversial for his take-no-prisoners approach, to improve the team.
英國隊也在依賴大量有志奪取獎牌的新秀，在田徑項目上尤其如此。英國田徑隊已經聘任荷蘭教練查爾斯•範•康蒙尼（Charles Van Commenee）來提高團隊水平，他的強硬手段是頗惹爭議的。
Jessica Ennis, the track and field star plastered on billboards across Britain, could take gold in the heptathlon, while brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee could snatch Britain's first-ever medals in the triathlon.
阿里斯泰爾•布朗利（右）和他的兄弟喬納森•布朗利（左）其海報遍佈英國的田徑明星恩尼斯（Jessica Ennis）有望奪得女子七項全能金牌，而阿里斯泰爾•布朗利（Alistair Brownlee）和喬納森•布朗利（Jonathan Brownlee）兄弟有望摘得英國第一枚三項全能比賽獎牌。Mo Farah, the current men's 5,000-meter world champion, has a realistic chance of ending Ethiopia's 16-year reign in the men's Olympic 10,000-meter event at the London Games. Farah, who was born in Somalia but moved to Britain at age 8, has been training in the Rift Valley in Kenya, which has started hosting an annual high-altitude training camp for British athletes thanks to newly robust funding.
男子5,000米長跑世界冠軍法拉（Mo Farah）很有希望在倫敦奧運會上結束埃塞俄比亞對奧林匹克男子一萬米項目的統治。法拉出生於索馬里，在八歲時移居英國。他一直在肯尼亞的東非大裂谷（Rift Valley）訓練。由於新注入的強大資金支持，這裏已經開始每年爲英國運動員舉辦高海拔訓練營。To avoid the pain of underperforming in London, Britain agreed in 2006 to provide U.K. Sport with extra funding. U.K. Sport is almost done doling out GBP 312 million (about $488 million) to teams and individuals for the London cycle (2009-2013), up from about GBP 265 million spent for Beijing (2005-2009). U.S. teams don't enjoy a similar pot of public funding for Olympic sports and instead raise money largely from private donors.
爲避免在倫敦奧運上表現不佳的痛苦，英國於2006年同意爲“英國體育”提供額外的資助。“英國體育”爲團隊和個人在倫敦奧運週期（2009-2013）發放的資金已接近3.12億英鎊（約合4.88億美元），高於北京奧運週期（2005-2009）的約2.65億英鎊。美國奧運代表團沒有類似的政府資金，其資金主要通過私人捐贈籌集。U.K. Sport has used the extra money to support athletes as far as eight years in advance of Olympic qualification. Keri-Anne Payne, the 24-year-old British gold medal favorite in long-distance swimming, was first spotted by British coaches in South Africa at age 8.
早在倫敦獲得奧運會主辦權前八年開始，“英國體育”就開始用這筆額外資金支持運動員。當時，時年八歲、現年24歲的最有望奪得金牌的英國長距離游泳運動員佩恩（Keri-Anne Payne）被英國教練在南非發現。U.K. Sport operates via a shrewd method that includes strict performance targets for the athletes, the teams and the agency itself.
“英國體育”通過一種精明務實的方式運營，包括對運動員、團隊及機構本身設置嚴格的成績目標。The agency ranks British athletes across all sports on the basis of their chance of winning an Olympic medal, slating athletes with multiple-medal winning potential at the top. The ranking, reviewed annually, determines how much individual funding each athlete gets. The higher the ranking, the more money.
該機構根據贏得獎牌的機率將所有項目的英國運動員進行排名，將有潛力奪得多枚獎牌的運動員排在最前面。這份每年複查一次的排名會決定每位運動員能獲得多少個人資助。排名越高，資金越多。'Our no-compromise approach says we're not going to compromise and give everyone a bit,' Nicholl says. 'We are going to invest absolutely the right amount of money from the top down on our meritocratic list.' The agency also shifts money to sports that show more promise.
尼科爾說，根據我們的“不妥協方法”，我們不會讓步而給每個人都分一點，我們會按照人才排名表從前往後的順序，投入絕對合宜的資金數額。Though the 2012 team may be the finest in Britain's modern Olympic history, it isn't likely to beat the country's medal tally from the 1908 London Games, when British officials drew up the program of events and included oddball sports such as motorboat racing, the tug of war and rackets, allowing Britain to scoop 146 medals. 'Nobody else [besides the British] really knew the rules,' Polley said.
儘管2012代表團可能是英國現代奧運會歷史上最優秀的團隊，但卻不大可能打破英國在1908年倫敦奧運會上的獎牌紀錄，當時是由英國政府擬定項目計劃，將摩托艇比賽、拔河和 網球等古怪的項目列入賽程，令英國斬獲146枚獎牌。波利說，（除了英國人）沒有人真正懂得比賽規則。Still, for today's British team, the biggest challenge may come after London. Almost all teams see a dip in performance after their country hosts the Olympics, but Nicholl says she aims to replicate or beat the U.K.'s 2012 medal haul four years from now in Rio de Janeiro. 'That,' she said, 'would be a real statement to the world that this system really is working.'
不過，對如今的英國隊來說，最大的挑戰或許是在倫敦奧運會後。一個國家主辦奧運會後，該國代表團的表現幾乎都會下滑，但尼科爾說，她希望四年後英國隊在里約熱內盧能保持或打破其在2012年的獎牌成績。她說，這將會向世界真正證明，這個系統真的在起作用。
