Yes, it's a very good question.
I guess from my experiences in Australia, where they see funding in high performance as an investment rather than an expense and where there are aspirations that are created and role models created, I do believe those role models help create aspirations for young people to get involved in physical activity. I mention in the paper a number of examples where kids do get involved in participating in physical activity, in clubs, etc. When I was CEO of Queensland Swimming, post the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the registrations for swimming bumped up 15% because of the success of that team.
There need to be programs, no doubt, to link grassroots participation and high performance to try to get kids more active. Key role models and athletes can sell them the message of the benefits of physical activity, not necessarily reaching to the highest level.