In October 1982, Horse & Hound was celebrating the success of Lucinda Green, the World Three-Day Event Champion, as well as a regular panellist on BBC’s ‘Question of Sport’.
Giving a rare in-depth interview on her career, which at that point also included European, Badminton and Burghley titles, Lucinda pointed the way to the future and the way in which competitors at the top level simply had to become more professional.
“I don’t think there’s anybody now who doesn’t agree that the distinction between amateurs and professionals is hopelessly out of date and unpractical today – except some of the older generation, many of whom still fervently believe in the amateur spirit. It is a pure profession, motivated by money and politics.
“They’re beginning to get the message now that earning a basic living is not going to make you any better at your sport and now they allow you to keep enough money to feed and clothe yourself, but they’re clamping down on people actually making money out of their sport. You can’t even build up a pension through a trust fund. So you eventually retire from the sport, too old to take up a new career. But if you’re really professional about your sport you have no time for anything else.”
It’s a fascinating interview about a sport in transition and much more. You can read it all here.
