UK Sport has this week published its 2007 Annual Review. The Review provides a detailed account of UK Sport’s key projects within the UK and abroad, and provides further insight into how the organisation is meeting and supporting positive change in the UK’s sporting landscape.
Against a backdrop of impressive elite success from Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic sports in 2007, UK Sport has signaled a clear intention to actively help meet the challenges faced by sports in developing their performance management systems with the launch of ‘Mission 2012’. With both the Olympic and Paralympic Mission 2012 Panels due to meet for their first review sessions in February, the process is designed to help create an open and even closer relationship with National Governing Bodies by taking a collective approach to building and learning from the many existing successful elite athlete development programmes.
Since its launch in February 2007, the Sporting Giants campaign has also successfully unearthed a raft of ‘raw’ talent in a drive to discover future athletes for handball, volleyball and rowing in the lead up to London 2012. The Review documents their remarkable journey so far, along with the latest developments and thinking in the areas of Sports Science and Medicine, Research and Innovation, Coaching and Performance Lifestyle services.
The evolution in the fight against drugs also features in the form of the establishment of a stand alone National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), which was announced by UK Sport in December 2007. With greater powers and in partnership with law enforcement agencies the new NADO will ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of the global fight against doping in sport.
UK Sport’s Chief Executive, John Steele, said:
“Change is very much the theme of this Review. We have changed in the way that we will work with the sports in which we invest – with ‘Mission 2012’ and the development of the new NADO demonstrating our clear desire to do what’s best for sport in the UK. The past year has also been one of real change within UK Sport. We have reviewed our structures, to ensure that we are operationally best placed to maximise the impact of our funding and responsibilities at the ‘front line’. We have delivered a comprehensive people development programme for staff across all areas of the business, which recognises our need to constantly improve and ensure we remain focused on delivering everything we do against our values of ‘Commitment to Excellence’, ‘Integrity & Openness’ and ‘Working Together’.”
UK Sport’s work in bringing positive impacts across the UK and internationally are also highlighted in the Review. UK Sport’s International Development programmes are actively engaged in promoting sport in 15 countries as well as leading on the delivery of the recently announced ‘International Inspiration’ programme, a partnership designed to help deliver the ‘Singapore vision’ for 2012. While the World Class Events Programme made significant progress in 2007 supporting 19 major sporting events throughout the home countries.
The Review is available to download via the link below.