Not that Britain did badly in London, coming third for gold medals. The US has five times Britain's population and six times Britain's gross domestic product, but won only 37% more golds. But Britain's triumph was tinged with news that many medallists attended private schools, and that state schools in England are selling off playing fields as budgets tighten and PE gets squeezed from the timetable.
Not for sale – school playing fields (in the US)
As the UK debates a 'legacy' for the Olympics and Paralympics, Joanna Walters visits typical high schools in America, where sports facilities are superb and selling off playing fields would be 'unimaginable'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/sep/10/school-playing-fields-for-sale