Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

We need more facilities. However, even if we had all the facilities in the world, I could not say we would win medals. Much of it comes down to the constant level of international competition and of elite coaching needed for many of the different disciplines. I was told a story in Beijing that demonstrates this. The Chinese decided they wanted to win a cycling medal in the velodrome in China. They sent a 17 year old girl to Switzerland for four years where she did nothing but learn her craft, picking up French and English along the way. She won a medal. That is the type of dedication that is needed.

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