Best Decisions in Sport: have your say on Sky Sports' Olympics shortlist
Our Sky Sports experts have picked out the best Olympic decisions ever made - see if you agree.
Last Updated: 06/08/13 8:46am
To celebrate great decisions the experts at Sky Sports have found 'The 50 Best Decisions in Sport' so you can vote for which you think is the best of all time, and have the chance to win a top prize.
Last summer was one of the biggest in history with the London 2012 Olympics going down as arguably the best sporting event ever staged in the UK, providing plenty of memories that will last forever.
Our panel of experts have selected some of the biggest decisions made around last year's Olympics and others from previous Games to be included in our pick of the best sporting decisions ever made.
Take a look at their picks and then vote for your favourite at www.skysports.com/decisions. Voting closes on August 14.
Mo Farah makes Salazar sacrifice
Mo Farah's decision to make Alberto Salazar his coach would entail great sacrifice, but huge rewards. Moving to the United States would take Farah away from his family for big chunks of time, but he knew Salazar was the man to give him that vital winning edge. And so it proved. Salazar immediately set about improving Farah's strength and poise giving him a dramatic kick on the final stretch, which would prove crucial as Farah romped to double Olympic gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres.
Women's boxing makes the Games
The decision to include women's boxing in the London 2012 Olympics had some traditionalists up in arms - but it broadened the appeal of the sport. The decision was vindicated when it became one of the Games' most popular sports, thanks in no small part to Nicola Adams from Leeds. Adams had super-quick hands and a smile which would light up the Games. Her skillful brand of boxing entertained and delighted the crowds and she took the sport to unprecedented levels, winning gold and the hearts of a nation.
Grainger's golden dream pays off
No-one would have blamed Katherine Grainger, at the age of 36, for giving up on her Olympic dreams. She had already won three silver medals, and it would have been understandable had she considered the 2012 Games a step too far. However, she had a burning desire to try for gold one more time, especially on home soil, so she decided to compete in her fourth Games. Remarkably, her drive and persistence paid off, and she finally achieved what she had dreamed of: Olympic gold, in the double sculls. It was a priceless contribution to Team GB's magical summer.
London 2012 lights up the world
The decision of the International Olympic Committee to award the 2012 Games to London was a shock. Paris had been widely expected to win, but the IOC members chose London by the slimmest of margins. By the summer of 2012, after seven years of classic British self-doubt, the eyes of the world were on London. What followed was a magical Games. But perhaps the bigger triumph was the Paralympics. Emerging from the shadow of the Olympics for the first time, the Paralympics led to a marked change in the public's perception of disability sport.
Kelly Holmes soldiers on
From army physical trainer to double-Olympic gold and Damehood, the success of Dame Kelly Holmes is down to her decision to persevere, and take on two Olympic races. Before the 2004 Olympics, Holmes' career was on the line. She was persistently injured, and there seemed little hope of Olympic success. But hitting form at exactly the right time and deciding to run the 800m, as well as the 1500m, just five days before the final, she came home with two gold medals and a place in the pantheon of British Olympians.
Cartwheels catapult Comaneci
When famed gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi was scouting for young talent for his specialist gymnastics school in Romania during the 1960s, his decision to pay a visit to a small school in Onesti led to one of the most sensational Olympic moments of all time.
Six year old Nadia Comaneci was playing in the school yard, and amid all the running and jumping Karolyi noticed her handstands and cartwheels. Karolyi persuaded Comeneci to join his school - and a legend was born. Karolyi mentored the young Nadia and in 1976, the tiny teenager scored seven perfect tens on her way to Olympic gold.