Mark Cavendish says it's cos they use crap equipment and stay in crap hotels until the Olympic year - and in that year they spend four years worth of grants to ensure medal success.

I think you better have a look at the medal spread - medals in eighteen sports so far, with a medal coming in at least one more to add to that ( hockey ) - debunks your argument. 

And it's superb for British sport in the long term - way better than the appalling result at Atlanta. 

I never used to take much notice of field hockey, until a friend who played moved into a work locker near me. Monday mornings he be getting changed and he's black and blue. Never saw that as much on rugby players.

It's a pattern set by Nature, been going on for millions of years, nothing is constant. Sometimes you are on top, sometimes on the bottom. Every animal on the planet suffers from it.
I used to worry about Australia not doing well in certain sports but if you wait long enough they will eventually rise to the top again.
The English cricket team is a good example.

You mentioned two sports and there's nineteen medal winning sports so far  

Okay - so what really is your complaint?  

The government opened the national lottery as it knew that the Arts & General fund would never be able to supply enough cash to sport development, community projects, and of course - the arts. 

The people of Britain play the lottery of their choice these days - I play the National Lottery by Direct Debit to the tune of around £1000 a year. There was a time when I won only a tenner ( buying over the counter ) I'd leave it knowing it was going to good causes. 

I'm delighted that sport is being funded, and I'm pleased to see so many sports at all levels receiving the grants that they do. 

In which way am I, and the millions of other National Lottery players, doing something wrong?

In which way is UK Sport doing anything wrong promoting and supporting elite athletes? 

And as was pointed out earlier this week - the brutality of the selection process brings results. British gymnastics was pathetic and as a result, they lost their funding. They went back to the drawing board, rejigged their entire sport in the UK, and now receive funding once more. And the medals have followed - good on them. 

The British way in the past has been jobs for the boys, jobs for the Hooray Henry's, and bad luck old chap - better luck next time. 

I know what system I prefer.