Does Women's Tennis Change Dreams of Olympic Gold?
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there has been discussion about why there are not as many strong female gymnasts from countries such as Russia, Romania, etc. These countries have had a long history of Olympic success in gymnastics. However, there seem to be more and more talented female professional tennis players from Russia and many Eastern European countries such as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, as well
as Romania. Given the fact that professional women’s tennis is the most successful and lucrative international sport for women, one could surmise that possibly some little girls who could have been budding Olympic gymnasts are instead now starting to swat tennis balls at a very early age. There is the potential for Olympic gold medals in sports such as gymnastics, swimming, track and field, etc. for a small number of female athletes during the Olympic Games every four years. However, professional tennis offers the opportunity for players to earn a very good living for many years if a player reaches the top 100 or so in the rankings. Therefore, it’s not surprising that more little girls growing up around the world might dream of winning Wimbledon rather than an Olympic Gold Medal in gymnastics...
|
