Sir, - Over the years many possible reasons have been floated as to why our Olympians are regarded as under-achievers, but surely Eamonn Tierney's diatribe (November 4th) against those responsible for indoctrinating our young people with "parochial sporting ambitions" takes the wooden spoon.
The "sporting parochialism" of the US, which includes saturation coverage of indigenous sports such as baseball, American football and basketball, does not seem to have had an adverse affect on its athletes' ability to perform well at successive Olympics. The United States has been the most successful nation in Olympic history.
Attacks on the GAA over the years have come from many quarters and under many guises, but this particular attack deserves a gold medal for arrogant assumption. - Yours, etc.,
Tom Cooper, Delaford Lawn, Knocklyon, Dublin 16.