Because the current funding levels will be adjusted because of the need for Olympic funding. It might not affect athletes expected to compete for the GB team, but it will impact other athletes, our young athletes and everything that was in the pipeline for Scottish sport, including facilities. The issue is not what competition is better. The issue is Scotland (and Wales and NI) having to pay for something that only benefits one location and one country. That is the issue. If you want the Olympics, then fine by me. Just don't expect us to pay for something that will not benefit us in the slightest. We do enough of that as it is.
The football venues are already decided: Old Trafford St James' Park Villa Park Hampden Park (which is in a place just outside London, called Scotland)
Were you so resentful when Manchester hosted the Commonwealth Games? Surely that must have diverted funding for sportsmen and sporting facilities from Scotland? Or is it particularly London you have a problem with?
It makes sense to spread the football around a bit. But why not Millenium Stadium, Highbury Road, or the Stadium of Light? I thought also that the Crystal Palace might have been refurbished for track and field (what you folks there cal "athletics") instead of building a new behemoth in Stratford. Anyone know what The Oval, Twickenham, and Milton Keynes (the former national field hockey stadium) will host?
So does this mean England will now do what they've done before and send all the hooligans and "undesirables" to Australia during the Games?
The stadia specified are fine for the football tournament. They have large capacities and are used to the crowds. I'd like to have Ashburton Grove used from a purely personal point of view, but a case could be made for any of them. To use Crystal Palace you'd probably need to demolish and rebuild it anyway. Added to that, the rail links at Stratford are way better (2 tube lines, suburban railway, Eurostar station at Stratford as opposed to just suburban railway at Crystal Palace). I don't think The oval, Twickers or MK are in the plan. I'm surprised that The oval isn't included as it has hosted baseball exhibition games before. Twickenham does have some restrictions from the local council on how many events it can hold in a year, I don;t know if this was a sticking point as it's a magnificent stadium.
I read that England (and/or GB?) doesn't participate in Olympic soccer because there isn't a united soccer federation set up. What is the story behind that?
And how exactly is Scotland going to lose out? It will be London paying for it, along with London businesses, plus, don't forget that the team fielding is a "British team", which includes Scotland. And who is paying to help Andy Murray, Wimbledon's new shining star. "The All ENGLAND Tennis Club". Just be proud to be British and not come up with the centuries old "sour grapes". After all, you have your own Parliament, which is more than us "English" have.!
My understanding is that since England participates in the Olympics as GBR, all the different football associations would have to agree on fielding a team and they have not done so and are not inclined to do so. But, please, someone correct me if that is wrong. Edit: See discussion here... https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5439716#post5439716
Apparently the Millenium Stadium will be hosting football games as well. BBC Sport The article says that Wales may host the cycling and swimming events too, now maybe my knowledge of geography is off, but since when is Cardiff in London? I understand when cities have to move events to appropriate venues, but it seems a kind of ridiculous. If there's one thing that London has plenty of, its football stadiums.
Well, when is Cambridge, Mass. in Los Angeles? Or Washington, DC in Atlanta? And they let the Cretans (or cretins) take an Athens event or two, yes?
Scotland isn't too close either, but matches will be played there as well. London is the "host" city, but some of the events are spread out so not everything is crammed into one place and the rest of the country (or countries in this case) get some of the action.