World Class Events Programme

Great Britain won 50% of the gold medals at the 2008 World Track Cycling Championships in Manchester

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Through its World Class Events Programme, UK Sport distributes approximately £3.3 million of Lottery funding each year to support the bidding and staging costs of major events on home soil, as well as providing specialist support to organisers.

The programme has grown from strength to strength, with the catalyst for change following the announcement on 6 July 2005 that London had won the rights to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. This has changed the sporting landscape in Britain forever – including the ability to expand the World Class Events Programme and bring even more strategically important events to these shores.

This expansion has been exponential; whilst five events were supported in 2006 (with an investment of £1.6 million), 19 events were supported in 2007, with some 17 events being supported in 2008, including a record six World Championships  – despite this being an Olympic and Paralympic year.

For a full list of events that UK Sport has supported please click here.

For a full list of events future events that UK Sport is supporting please click here.

A fantastic example of the success of the programme was seen at the 2008 UCI World Track Cycling Championships which were held in March, where the British team swept the board, winning 50% of the gold medals available – a feat never achieved before. Chris Hoy, winner of two golds and a silver at the championships commented on the significance of competing at home: "It's been a significant factor for the whole team and it may sound silly but it's like having a hand pushing you and all you're aware of is this volume of sound the whole way round the track and I haven't known this in any championship."

The priority of UK Sport’s Events team is to support events based on their likely performance impact, but the broader impacts of events are also examined, to maximise the wider sporting, social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits, as well as sporting performance and legacy.

UK Sport’s Events Team has met with the majority of the national governing bodies of sport responsible for Olympic and Paralympic sport in the UK and has agreed specific events strategies with each of them, up until 2012 and in many cases beyond. Some of them, such as cycling, athletics and swimming we have worked with many times in the past, whilst others, such as wrestling, goalball and taekwondo, have only recently had the opportunity and resources to tap into hosting international events.

These sports strategies have been developed according to the following brief:

• Performance and sport focused – prioritising the delivery of benefits to the sport over other areas 
• Target events will be World or European level
• Inextricably linked to the goals of the World Class Performance Programme
• Maximise capacity building; NGB knowledge and skill base, provide opportunities to develop officials, volunteers, referees and judges
• Consideration for the development of legacy initiatives

UK Sport’s Events Team work with event organisers to develop solid bid and staging documents and to determine the level of award required from the World Class Events Programme. A case profile is constructed, which is considered by UK Sport’s Major Events Panel which meets quarterly and makes recommendations on awards to UK Sport’s Board.