You people are a bunch of socialists.

The role for government is upholding individual rights through preventing the initiation of force. That means police, justice, defence and nothing else. It should not be "redistributing [private] wealth" to the loudest and most influential interest groups.

Everything the state gives to someone it must take from someone else. Why should your Daryl "Battler" Kerrigans from Struggle St have to sacrifice the pursuit of their goals to pay for sportsmen or artists to pursue theirs?

While I thank the author for reminding his countrymen that in Rocky IV, your lot might as well have been on Dolf Ludgren's Soviet side, I can't support this suggestion:

"Why not, for example, pay for elite sports training through a tax on gaming". Why not do nothing? Embrace the libertarian solution and let people spend their money as they see fit. If you want the sports and arts supported, contribute your own money, not mine.

If you feel like a bit of Kiwi bashing may I commend to your attention these two article, the first by 1983 Wimbledon finalist Chris Lewis:
http://www.freeradical.co.nz/content/44/44lewis.php
http://pc.blogspot.com/2006/03/peoples-republic-of-aotearoa-athletes.html
And if you're still not sated, just remember who won the rugby, league and netball.

A poster has noted that sports makes cheap programming for TV stations. The power of TV stations is ubiquitious, look at the change in audiences for football matches.

20 years ago the diehards would line up at noon at their teams football stadium to buy tickets to stand in the outer so they could shout encouragement and abuse to their heroes. Gradually the outer has been replaced by seating. The outer used to cost $8 but the seats must be booked and paid for and cost $50. The diehard fan is barred from practising his religion as football stadiums have put in seating and reduced crowd size. Seated fans look better on TV. It looks better to have a full stadium rather than a half empty stadium so stadium capacity is reduced to an optimal 30,000. Also 10 years ago teams like Geelong only played home matches on Saturday afternoon because the diehard fan used to spend Sunday with his family eating the Sunday roast.

Watching the lifestyle of the elite athletes next door I can say they live more comfortably concentrating on their training than the emergency teacher scratching a living across the road.

I think TV stations should pay the full cost of their programming choices, and this means supporting the AIS.