The Australian site Propel Perform tweeted this out last week:

"High Performance Heuristic: If your facilities are better than your results... You have a 'decision-maker' problem."

I felt it deserved a slightly longer follow-up than 140 characters.

Modern facilities are not necessary for elite performers, or to have an effective high performance sporting environment. This is good to remember for coaches, who train in older facilities, or facilities without all the bells and whistles. Also for federations or governments interested in promoting sport - better to make memberships free or subsidise participation than have expensive facilities. Of course it's great to do both, but often it's not possible, budgets limiting.

Many of the best performing programmes come from 'basic' facilities. Perhaps the environment created by shiny 'newness' creates the feeling that one has arrived, vs the struggle that high performance sport unpins is about.

I always like the older pool in Victoria BC, Crystal Pool, vs the newer Saanich Commonwealth Place.

Food for thought.