SYDNEY—As Australia's Olympic expectations continue to tumble, the Australian Olympic Committee has expressed frustration at delays in the federal Crawford report into sports funding.
"I am, and I think all of our member sports are, very disappointed that it has taken so long to be produced," said AOC President John Coates as a survey showed Australia would slip to seventh on the medal tally if an Olympic Games was held this year.
"The sports needed additional funding immediately following the Beijing Games," he said.
"We work in four-year cycles. Time has been lost."
Australia would finish with just nine gold medals and 38 medals in all if an Olympics was held this year, its lowest return for over a decade, according to the AOC's latest annual benchmark study.
This would drop Australia from sixth position in Beijing last year to seventh behind the US (90 medals), Russia (70), China (68), Germany (60), France (40) and Britain (also 38 but with two more gold).
The survey is based on results achieved by Australians at world championships, World Cups and equivalent events in 2009.
Since winning a record 58 medals, good enough for fourth position, at the Sydney 2000 Games, the Australian Olympic team has experienced a steady decline to 49 medals in Athens in 2004 and 46 in Beijing last year.
The AOC believes Australia would need a total of 55 medals to reclaim top five status at the 2012 London Olympics.
"We are a long way off our goal," said Coates.
"The study highlights a steady decline in the number of medals won over the past decade, and that is a major concern.
"We haven't been this low on the medal charts since 1997."
Far from contemplating funding cuts, the AOC has applied for an additional $108 million a year in federal money for Olympic and Paralympic sports for the next 10 years.
It's the biggest ask since they went to Prime Minister Paul Keating in 1994 seeking an extra $30 million a year for six years, and got something close to that - three years at $20 million and three years at $25 million.
It is much more than twice the current level of $73 million, and the AOC argues it is is needed to keep pace with major competitors including Germany, France, Britain and Italy.
No matter what is contained in businessman David Crawford's report to federal Sports Minister Kate Ellis, it is already too late to help Australia's campaign at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February.
But there is intense speculation that the report recommends phasing out funding for many second tier sports, and full funding only for high profile disciplines such as swimming, cycling and athletics.
Coates has invoked memories of the 1976 Olympics, when the Australian team went to Montreal with expectations of 20-30 medals but came home with just five, not one of them gold.
"Minister Ellis is too young to remember Montreal," said Coates, "but I know she is savvy enough to understand that we don't want a return to those dark days.
"Countries investing money in their athletes are either going ahead of us or closing the gap."
Coates said there was a "direct relationship" between funding and results, as shown by Australia's sharp climb from 41 medals in Atlanta in 1996 to 58 in Sydney four years later.
Asked about Australia's prospects at the London Olympics, he said: "The government's reaction to the Crawford report will determine that."
The rise and fall of Australia's Olympic empire?
1976 Montreal, 0 gold 5 medals - 32nd place
1988 Seoul, 3 14 - 15th
1992 Barcelona, 7 27 - 10th
1996 Atlanta, 9 41 - 7th
2000 Sydney, 16 58 - 4th
2004 Athens, 17 49 - 4th
2008 Beijing, 14 46 - 6th
2009 9 38 - 7th *
2012 London, 55 - 5th **
* Based on AOC's latest benchmark survey
** AOC projection of medal tally needed to arrest decline
IF AN OLYMPIC GAMES WAS HELD NOW
1st USA 90 medals
2nd Russia 70
3rd China 68
4th Germany 60
5th France 44
6th Britain 38 (11 gold)
7th Australia 38 (nine gold)
8th Italy 34 (11 gold)
* According to AOC benchmark survey based on world championship, World Cup and equivalent results in 2009)
OLYMPIC SPENDATHON
Spending over four years on 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics*
$1.32 billion - Britain
$1.2 billion - France
$1.04 billion - Germany
$858 million - Italy
$588 million - Australia
Amount needed for top five finish: $900+ million (AOC estimate)
*AOC figures, all in $A
