Ickihun, I agree that the diabetes care received by any individual can be highly variable. Where I stand on your statement though is that however good any diabetes team is, they don't do most of the work for the diabetic. They play their part, but without the individual actually doing what they need to; day in day out, the best outcomes, achievable by the individual, bearing in mind other complicating co-morbidites and the like, will not be achieved.
The motivation has to come from within the individual. They are the ones putting in the hard yards.
Where athletes could be at an advantage is that they are used to living a very controlled life, in terms of training, eating, resting and measuring routines, relating to their chosen sport, so perhaps adding additional dimensions to those routines isn't quite the same challenge as it can be for others living a more free-style lifestyle.
Those are my views anyway.