I think this final is all about putting badminton on the map here in England. Firstly, the BBC has given it HUGE coverage and they normally run a 'Moment of the Day' at the end, where people vote for their best moment. Today it was Nathan and Gail which shows people are watching and voting for them. Not only this, GB are waiting for thier first gold medal. If these two get it, press, newspapers will flood in and badminton will get the publicity! There will be tonnes of interviews, funding will go up and things will look good. The door is open... Go on Nathan and Gail!!
I am in a dilemna here. Is there a way for Gao and Zhang to win, yet also increase the awareness and funding into the UK badminton scene?
Yes we need victories to excite everybody and bring them closer to badminton. As badminton fans we welcome this phenomenon which can uplift the game in GB! Good Luck!
difficult. a Gold has much higher significance than its worth in weight alone while a Silver is just a Silver. the impact of a Gold medal goes very far in the public media, in national pride and in the history book. hardly anybody will mention a silver again despite all the sweat and sacrifice an athlete has to make to earn it.
Lets face it, GB have more money than skill. As a nation we're a lot smaller than the big fish, USA, China...etc. Talent is few and far between and I doubt we will ever have the chance to get to another Olympic Baddy final SO ALL THE BEST TO US. I HOPE WE WIN GOLD.
Some very encouraging comments here on Five Live... http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/h2/h2....bbc.co.uk>&board=fivelive.latestnews&sort=Te People starting to take notice....
It is a shame because I think all western countries would have benefited from a GB gold. I think Increased UK coverage would have a knock on effect even if it is small. Western Countries beating the far east will inspire other Western Countries and this is why Danish wins are always closer to our hearts in the UK. Who is mixing it up with the far east this year? GB are. We should be very proud.
