Susan Egelstaff (singles) and Imogen Bankier (mixed doubles) comprise half of Britain's Olympic badminton team, a remarkable feat for Scotland by any standards.
In no other Team GB discipline will Scots comprise 50% of the 2012 team.
Yet, since the sport gained Olympic status in 1992, total Scottish representation had been just one: Anne Gibson in Atlanta 1996. More remarkably, this has been achieved despite sportscotland cutting resources to Badmintonscotland, partly citing poor major championship representation. The Institute of Sport was most supportive when Egelstaff needed knee surgery, and sent a physio to tournaments during recovery.
Badmintonscotland had to bankroll Egelstaff's competitions, and it is worth questioning the return on UK Sport millions funding the GB programme. Just two English players have qualified for 2012: Bankier's partner Chris Adcock and Rajiv Ousef (singles). Failure to qualify men's or women's doubles represents a very poor return. Britain played in all five events in Beijing, sent 11 players to Athens in 2004, and 12 to Sydney in 2000. Britain has never sent a smaller squad.
The writing was on the wall when it was the only Games sport to have funding slashed in 2010. It was clear there was an excessively cosy relationship between Olympic silver medallist Nathan Robertson and head coach Andy Wood, who was obliged to step down. Egelstaff felt suitably compelled to quit the GB performance centre at Milton Keynes to prepare in Scotland. Clearly she knew what worked for her.
Success does not end here. Kirsty Gilmour took bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games, while Paul van Reitvelde took his first international tournament, in Turkey. Steven Moodie won gold at the Para-Badminton World Championships in Guatemala, and Alan Oliver took silver in a different class.
Sportscotland should revise how it views the Scottish body.
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