If there is only a limited pool of funds available for sport, is it justifiable for Government to spend millions of dollars on Olympic sport if it means that thousands of ordinary Australians may miss out on the chance to participate in sport altogether? I don`t think so. Striking the right funding balance between community sport - be it competitive or recreational - and elite sport, is the major challenge for the Federal Government. This elusive balance will only be found if measuring the relative value of sport to our society goes beyond medals and winning and into issues of healthy lifestyles and even Australia`s cultural identity. As 2000 draws closer, the Sydney Olympics is stealing the limelight, albeit not always for the right reasons. Understandably there is increasing tension within community sports as political attention on Homebush pushes their aspirations and concerns to one side. Questions about whether the concentration on medal tallies and elite sporting programs is coming at the expense of community based sport need to be asked. In fact, there is an increasing level of uncertainty about the future of sport in light of the mooted broad funding cutbacks post-2000. Cynics would no doubt claim that elite sport will always be supported because its high-profile success and mass spectator audiences carry far more political weight than does a small community of sporting people. My fear is that if this holds true, then our mighty sporting ethos has a very limited future and our obsession with elite sporting success may if fact undermine our sporting ethos.