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Investment in Sports

UK Sport invests Exchequer and National Lottery funds in Britain’s best Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes to maximise their chances of success on the world stage. More than £100 million per annum is being invested directly into the UK’s high performance system during the London Olympiad, with a further £58 million over the course of the cycle flowing to providers of the key services that underpin it.

To ensure that the UK’s most talented athletes have every chance of realising their potential, UK sport has created the World Class Performance Programme, a vehicle for funding the UK’s top athletes and providing support services for them through investment to their national governing bodies.

The UK’s high-performance system is currently enjoying unprecedented levels of investment ahead of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Investment is targeted where it has the greatest chance of succeeding using a ‘No Compromise’ philosophy which targets investment at those most likely to deliver medals at Olympic and Paralympic level.

World Class Performance funding is only available to sports achieving or striving to achieve excellence in the Olympic and Paralympic arenas. If sports are unable to show that, or where available funding is significantly reduced, funding at a ‘Basic’ level – just covering core staffing and basic preparation – will be considered for sports furthest away from podium success. For performing sports, UK Sport’s investment model will guide funding decisions based upon past performance and demonstrable future potential.

In addition to Exchequer and National Lottery funds, the ‘Team 2012’ initiative is a third income stream for Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Launched in 2009, Team 2012 raises additional funds for the World Class Performance Programme through to 2012 via private income.

UK Sport makes all its World Class Performance investment decisions in the November to January period following an Olympic/Paralympic Games, to allow for a thorough review and wash-up of the previous cycle and evidence of future potential.

Recognising that performance potential can fluctuate from year to year and that the economic environment and dependence upon National Lottery and Exchequer income can also introduce uncertainty, UK Sport conducts Annual Reviews and a Mid-Cycle Review to ensure that all investments continue to be aligned to the high level goal of delivering the maximum performance potential. As a result of the reviews, investment levels can be amended as appropriate.

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