A common perception is that governments should spend money on public health instead of training athletes for the Olympics. I completely agree with this idea because sport should be available for everyone and government spending should benefit everyone.
First of all, sport for everyone is more important than sport for a few professionals. Most people are not going to become Olympic champions, but they still need to be healthy. When ordinary people do exercise, they feel better and they have fewer health problems. For example, in my city, the government has built free running tracks and outdoor gyms. Now many people use them every day. If the government spends money on such things, it will help millions of people, not just a few athletes.
Secondly, training Olympic athletes is very expensive but it does not help regular people. Governments are spending millions of dollars on coaches, equipment and facilities for professional sportsmen. This money could be used for building public swimming pools or buying sports equipment for schools. In my country, for instance, the government spent a lot of money on the last Olympics, but after that, many sports stadiums were empty. Ordinary people were not allowed to use them. This is not fair because everyone pays taxes.
In conclusion, I think governments should spend more money on programmes for ordinary people. Being healthy is important for everyone, but Olympic medals are only for a few. It is better to help the majority of the population than to spend money on professional sports.