Kevin Meynell 2 Posted June 23, 2004 Maybe they might miss a few meetings in Britain,but should authorities in other countries give a damn. It's all about giving and taking. Britain (not to mention Poland and Sweden) often employ riders from the smaller countries which gives them experience of a higher level of competition that they would otherwise never have. They certainly provide the opportunity for those riders to ride professionally which could not be sustained in most countries. However, you can't expect to advantage of such opportunities whilst simultaneously disrupting the professional leagues for mickey mouse competitions. I would absolutely support smaller countries wanting to use their best riders for world championship events, national championships and even national league competitions (if it's only a handful of meetings). However, I don't see the purpose of the European Championship, European U-19 Championship (which often features the same riders as the World U-21), European Club Champions Cup (which features countries that don't even have leagues), and now the European Pairs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iris123 21,013 Posted June 23, 2004 It's all about giving and taking. I think its all about survival.Most tracks have only a few meetings a year and i guess they need a (meaningful )competition to attract both fans and sponsors.I`m not sure how many miss Swedish matches ,or if there is a problem in Poland either,just this constant(30 years or more)in Britain.I think for too long the promoters failed to see that the speedway world was changing and the grip they had on the sport was loosening.They failed to cope with the fact that Europeans could get back for meetings in their own country,whereas before a foreigner mainly meant someone from the southern hemisphere who was here for the season.When the British promoters employ someone from the continent they know what that entails.At least they should do after all this time.They have a choice not to employ them .Its rather funny to see this problem still being discussed so long after the Swedish ban,etc.Can`t say i`m entirely surprised though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
