Winners and losers in Paralympic funding

The governing body for British Paralympic sport has had its funding slashed in the build-up to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

Funding for ParalympicsGB, the body responsible for selecting, preparing and managing Britain’s teams at the Games, has been cut by UK Sport from £4.29 million in the previous four years to just £1.86 million for the next four years, casting doubt over the future of many initiatives.

ParalympicsGB chief executive Phil Lane said that the reduction could now jeopardise Great Britain’s ability to send a full team to the London games in 2012, as much of the work in talent identification and development may have to be scrapped.

“Beijing was our best Games in a world of growing international competition,” said Lane. “We had a winning formula in two parts. Lottery funding to the sports doubled in the lead-up and ParalympicsGB maximised that investment, through delivering performance programmes with disability and multi-sport performance expertise. That last bit of the equation will now be missing in part.

“We had aspirations of sending a full team to the Games so that the home crowd had something to cheer at, at every venue, which would have been important for ticket sales but would also have created a legacy of development from the Games. That may not happen now.”

Elsewhere, there was good news for many of the sports that were successful in Beijing, with some seeing significant increases to their funding ahead of 2012.

Cycling, which brought home 17 medals from China, has had its funding boosted to just under £3.85m, an increase of almost 120 per cent from the previous period, while swimming will receive £10m, equal to an increase of 45 per cent.

The biggest gains, though, were for boccia, which saw a dramatic rise of 285 per cent to £2.3m, and for shooting, which will receive 266 per cent more with £2.1m.

“There are some exceptionally positive elements,” said Lane.

“A number of proven medal-winning sports have received a significant boost to their funding and I’m sure that they will invest this well.”

Despite the healthy increases, some sports now face the prospect of receiving little or no official monies in the run-up to the London games.

Fencing, goalball, volleyball and women’s wheelchair basketball are yet to receive a confirmed figure for funding.

UK Sport, the body responsible for allocating funds said that those sports without allocations would have their levels revisited in January but that it was “committed to a basic level of funding for each through to 2012 from the remaining available budget.”

Sue Campbell, chair of UK Sport, said: “We remain absolutely committed to all Olympic and Paralympic sports and will do everything we can to help get them to the start line in four years’ time. We are sticking with the mission: we will not give up on anybody.”

Culture secretary Andy Burnham said: “This is a good result for British Olympic and Paralympic sport and one that is realistic in a tough economic climate.

“It represents a record investment in elite sport – more than the Beijing cycle – and keeps our medal ambitions for London 2012 in place.”