WE ARE nearing the one year anniversary of an accomplishment that thrilled Great Britain: the gold medal performance of Amy Williams in skeleton at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

CELEBRATION: British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt pyas tribute to Great Britain’s continued skeleton success (Getty Images)

As with Shelley Rudman’s silver medal at the 2006 Torino Olympic Winter Games, Amy’s race to the podium was the culmination of years of training and sacrifice.

Twelve months on, we should all be proud to see that Great Britain’s skeleton athletes are continuing to deliver outstanding results on the world stage.

Last weekend in Germany, Shelley became European Champion for the second time, with Amy and Donna Creighton placing third and sixth respectively.

Shelley is currently second in the World Cup rankings, having finished in the top two in five out of the six races so far this season.

Amy’s return to competitive form has been equally remarkable, having moved from a 12th place finish in her first race of the season (14 January in Igls, Austria) to a top five just one week later.

On the men’s side, Kristan Bromley is joined by fellow Brits Chris Type and Andy Wood in the top 13 of the current FIBT rankings.

This level of consistency is extraordinary. While I was thrilled to witness Amy’s inspirational win in Whistler last year, equally impressive is the talent and depth that the British squad brings to the track each weekend. A year on, they’re still at the top of their game.

Despite the absence of an ice track in the UK, Team GB sliders have secured medals at the last three Olympics.

Their consistency and success is no accident. In the first place, they have talented and determined athletes.

Secondly, they have excellent coaches who guide the athletes with a commitment to continuous improvement. Finally, they have the funding necessary to meet their goals.

Put these three parts of the equation together in any Olympic sport and you have the blueprint for success. I congratulate all involved at British Skeleton and wish them well for the World Championships next month.

For summer-sport athletes, this year is critical as they enter the final full season of competition before the Olympic year is upon us.

There are many major international championships to look forward to in 2011, including the Track Cycling World Championships (23-27 March, Holland), Swimming and Diving World Championships (16-31 July, China) and the Athletics World Championships (27 August- 4 September, Korea).

I for one can’t wait to see which athletes make their big breakthrough and which sports up their game to reach new levels of performance in 2011.

While the athletes are in action on the world stage, we all have a chance to get a taste of what Olympic sport is all about by participating in the Gold Challenge initiative that was launched in London in November 2010 and in Scotland last week.

The scheme provides people of all ages and abilities throughout the UK with the opportunity to experience and enjoy Olympic sports first-hand, while raising £20m for charity by the end of 2012.

The staff here at the BOA have given it their full backing, organising themselves into teams and aiming to complete a minimum of ten sports each while raising money for a variety of worthy charities. If you’re not already involved, I urge you to visit www.goldchallenge.org and become a part of this fantastic project.

Finally, I’d like to wish the ‘Best of British’ to Andy Murray as he aims to win his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open this weekend. Come on Andy, you can do it!

Other SportsVancouver 2010

BRITISH Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt insists there’ll be no rest for the wicked at Team GB headquarters in pursuit of gold at London 2012 and Sochi 2014.

NO LET UP: BOA chief Andy Hunt insists there is room for improvement despite a glowing report from athletes (Getty Images)

Hunt was Chef de Mission at last month’s Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver where Great Britain took a squad of 52 members – the biggest since Albertville 1992.

And while the British team missed out on their medal target of three, with skeleton champion Amy Williams the only medallist, an athlete questionnaire has lifted the lid on the British competitors’ support from the BOA.

But despite nearly all favourable responses, Hunt insists the BOA have plenty to improve on ahead of London 2012.

“The feedback we received from athletes was hugely encouraging,” said Hunt.

“But we have no intention of taking this as a signal to sit back and rest on our laurels.

“Our mantra at the BOA is that Better Never Stops and we will look at each area of the BOA’s role.

“We need to apply what we’ve learnt to both the London Games in 2012 and the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014.

“Where we haven’t scored 100 per cent, we’ll ask why.”

Ironically, it was the British preparation camp – a hot topic of debate ahead of London 2012 – which came out most favourably.

UKA head coach Charles van Commenee and London 2012 chairman Lord Coe are at loggerheads about the preparation of the British athletics team for London with van Commenee favouring a warm-weather training camp in Portugal and Coe preferring the team to be based at home.

But there were no complaints of the British preparation camp in Calgary with 100 per cent of respondents satisfied with the support at the camp and 98 per cent in favour of a similar set-up ahead of Sochi 2014.

And short track speed skating performance director Stuart Horsepool admitted there was an unprecedented feeling of support from the BOA in Vancouver.

“The way the BOA approached these Games felt like a step up from what’s gone before,” said Horsepool.

“The atmosphere they created was inspirational and there was a huge effort to make the athletes feel like they were part of Team GB.

“It was obvious a huge amount of thought was put into the Games.”

Other SportsSummer Sports

SQUASH – which continues to be overlooked for a place at the Olympics despite their very obvious strong claims for inclusion – is clearly taking their 2020 Games bid more seriously.

POWERFUL: Mike Lee has recently guided the communications strategy of the  London 2012, Rio 2016 and Pyeongchang 2018 bid teams plus helped Qatar win the World Cup and rugby sevens earned Olympic status. He is now working with squash on their 2020 Olympic campaign

The sport was beaten by rugby sevens and golf for a place on the schedule in Rio but last week was shortlisted again by the International Olympic Committee for a potential place four years later.

Climbing, wakeboarding and wushu, a Chinese-dominated style of martial arts, also could make their debut while squash joins previous applicants, baseball, karate, roller sports and softball on the shortlist.

The final decision will now rest with the IOC’s full membership when they meet in Buenos Aires in 2013, a gathering that will also decided the host city, with Rome and Toyko the early frontrunners.

But squash – whose campaign last time lacked the resources of their rivals – are clearly desperate not to slip up again.

Vero Communications, the specialist consultancy run by IOC insider Mike Lee, have been appointed by the World Squash Federation to mastermind the bid.

Everything the company has touched has turned to Olympic gold recently, Lee working on the London 2012 bid as head of communications before lending his services to Rio’s successful 2016 campaign.

Vero also assisted Pyeongchang in their election as 2018 Winter Olympic hosts yesterday and advised the International Rugby Board during their campaign to get Olympic status for rugby sevens.

“I am delighted that we have reached agreement with Vero for them to be our bid management company and communications advisers and we look forward very much to working with Vero chairman Mike Lee and his colleagues in trying to realise our long-held goal of squash becoming a Summer Olympic medal sport from 2020,” said WSF President N Ramachandran.

“When we met Mike, we felt straight away that he understood our sport and our ambitions. Vero have a tremendous track record in assisting bidding cities and sports so Squash will benefit immensely from drawing upon their experience and knowledge.”

Lee – who also advised Qatar on their successful bid to stage the 2022 World Cup – added:  “We are thrilled with this appointment. Our aim is to help squash put forward a compelling case to the IOC programme commission and wider Olympic Family on why the sport would be a fantastic addition to the Games.

“There is a long road ahead in the campaign but we are excited by the challenge. Working with President Ramachandran and the WSF team, we will do all we can to help ensure that the voice of squash is heard all the way to the IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September 2013.”

There are currently 28 sports on the summer Olympic programme – the maximum permitted – meaning one would need to be excluded to allow any of the IOC’s shortlist their chance of filling the slot.

©  2011

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THERE’S a fine line between gamesmanship and unsporting behaviour and it appears Canada are currently skating on very thin ice.

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT? Canada are being a touch on the miserly side in their pursuit of success at Vancouver 2010 (Getty Images)

There’s no doubting that being hosts has its perks but, in a bid to ensure Canada does not complete a hat-trick of gold medal-less Olympic Games on home soil – after Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988 proved rathered fruitless, Vancouver 2010 organisers are playing dirty.

And the “all’s fair in love and the Olympics” attitude hasn’t gone down well.

The British Olympic Association have not been shy in voicing their displeasure and they are not the only ones.  American speedskater Catherine Raney has indeed told the New York Times that Canada are “playing nasty”.

Take skeleton bob as a prime example. The governing body the FIBT state that each nation must be allowed a week to train on the track at the Whistler Sliding Centre (Great Britain are there at present).

The track is the most challenging in the world. It is not only the fastest, but also the most technically difficult in the world and has only been on the World Cup circuit for a year.

Practice clearly has its advantages and Canada are exploiting that to the full. Only those decked out in maple leaves are permitted to use the track outside the minimum allotted time, leaving the rest of the world just a fleeting visit before the Games begin.

Now it must be said Canada are well within their rights to do so, even if they might not make many friends along with the way.

But for the BOA, it gets worse.

Team GB are due to be based in Calgary, the only other Canadian city with an ice track, prior to Vancouver 2010.

But Great Britain have been informed they are not allowed to use said track.

The hosts have made an exception though.  Russia have not been given the cold shoulder and can train on the Calgary track.  Is it mere coincidence they host the subsequent Winter Olympics in Sochi?

And it doesn’t stop there. The BOA have gone to the IOC  too, after they were banned from placing cameras at certain positions at the curling venue.

But this is not just some form of imperialist backlash against Blighty. Great Britain are not the only ones to feel the wrath of Canada’s single-minded pursuit of success – the USA have not been pleased by their treatment both on the skeleton track and on the ice skating rink.

Now we must remember that Canada are simply exploiting home advantage as opposed to out-and-out rule-breaking but they are certainly not high on many NOC Christmas card lists at present.

But before we go casting aspersions, let us cast our minds forward two years. Director of elite performance for the BOA Sir Clive Woodward has been tasked with squeezing every last drop out of home advantage for London 2012.

And Sir Clive, as he proved in leading the England rugby team to World Cup glory in 2003, is not one to leave many stones unturned.

Canada may be deviating from the Olympic spirit and, by banning cameras and training sessions, are being a touch on the juvenile side about it – as Pierre de Coubertin once said, ‘the important thing is not to win, but to take part.’

But then, with less than 1000 days to go until London 2012, those in glass houses…..