UK Sport

World Class Events Programme set for record year

The World Class Events Programme supports strategically important events in the UK
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Mairi Irvine 03 March 2007

UK Sport’s ambitious World Class Events Programme (WCEP) is supporting a record 16 events of European or World level in the UK this year. This weekend’s European Indoor Athletics Championships has benefited from the largest grant of 2007, with up to £750,000 of National Lottery funding invested in hosting the event in Birmingham.

This follows on from cycling’s extremely successful World Cup Track Classic in Manchester last weekend, where British athletes demonstrated the advantage of competing on home soil by winning an outstanding 15 medals.

UK Sport’s Events Programme has been in operation since 1997 and has brought over 100 world class sporting events to the UK. With London 2012 on the horizon, the programme has expanded and has seen a doubling of its funds. £20 million of National Lottery funds will be invested in events in the UK between now and 2012 and this additional injection of cash means that the UK is now in a position to target all those events deemed to be strategically important.

John Scott, UK Sport’s International Director says the acceleration of the programme will have major benefits:

“There is no better way for sports to prepare for the challenge of 2012 than to host significant events on home soil. That is why we have altered the programme as a result of London winning the Games – so that every event can help meet UK Sport’s principal objective of medal success. Event selection and assessment have been more closely aligned to the potential for enhanced elite performance and capacity building. The evidence is that it is working already, as the fantastic medal haul by British cyclists at Manchester demonstrates.

“We have also had detailed discussions with Olympic and Paralympic sports regarding their event ‘wish-lists’ and from this we have targeted around 100 competitions that we would like to host in the UK between now and 2012. The list includes 28 World Championships and 27 European Championships that we will investigate bidding for over the next five years.

“This year we have already secured 16 events, with three more in the pipeline. In 2008, four World Championships have already been confirmed in the UK with the help of UK Sport; the World Track Cycling Championships, the World Squash Championships and the World Short Course Swimming Championships will all be held in Manchester, with the World Cross Country Championships confirmed in Edinburgh.”

UK Sport’s World Class Events team is the strategic lead in co-ordinating the UK’s efforts to bid for and stage major events on home soil. This unique position allows UK Sport to bring together a range of partners including NGBs, cities and regional and national development agencies to determine event priorities across each sport and across the country.

The success of the programme is reflected in the 75% success rate that event bids have achieved over the last 18 months. If this continues, it is estimated that 18,000 volunteer opportunities will be provided between now and 2012. It is also an integral part of delivering the best prepared team as the country looks towards a home Games in 2012.

Scott continues:

“We are able to bring partnerships together and leverage support for events. Our ambition really is UK wide; in 2007 we will be leaving no corner of the UK untouched, hosting events from Fort William and Phwelli to Millfield and Dover. We are also looking at bringing together new cities, regions and partners to ensure that collectively we put together the strongest possible bids, utilise best practice planning and stage top quality events. We really are demonstrating to the rest of the world that we are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to staging events.”

In 2007, the WCEP will support/has supported the following events: