In the 2012 Summer Olympics some athletes came painfully close to advancing further than they did and others were plain unlucky. But the bigger point is that Bermuda punches above its weight in the Olympics and other sports. It is the smallest country to have ever won a medal (Clarence Hill’s bronze in 1976) and has come within a whisker of adding to the collection in the past. This has been done with minimal financial support. That was truer than ever in 2012, as the Bermuda Olympic Association struggled to raise the funds it needed, and support for elite athletes was cut in half by Government two years ago. Premier Paula Cox, perhaps enthused with what she had seen in London and perhaps conscious of an upcoming election, has promised more support for athletes ahead of the 2016 Olympics, but whether this survives budget realities remains to be seen. If Bermuda does want to excel in the Olympics, it requires heavy investment. The days of amateurism are long gone, and Olympians must dedicate their every waking hour to their sport. When elite athletes like Tyrone Smith and Peter Bromby have to work full-time as well as compete, they will always be at a disadvantage. In the UK, Canada, USA, counties not as high on the World Bank's most-affluent list, all elite athletes are government supported, are able to devote all their time to their sport instead of having to work, as is presently the case in Bermuda. In Bermuda, millions of dollars were pledged (although not all was spent, as budgetary realities came home to roost) on cricket and football, but all other sports have continued to receive crumbs, and fewer of those in recent years. Bermuda’s athletes did extraordinarily well in London considering the Island’s size, but to excel against the world’s best, they need enough funding, and the psychological security that comes with it. In the end, it comes down to priorities. If sporting success is important to Bermuda, then money should be invested in it.