Homepage

We use cookies to track and analyse visitors to our website

These cookies help make the website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation. They are necessary for our website to function and cannot be switched off.
These cookies gather information to understand how visitors interact with the website, such as how many people are using our website of which pages are popular to help us improve user experience. Switching off these cookies will mean that we cannot gather information to improve the user experience.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by a third party provider whose services we have added to our website. Switching off these cookies mean that areas of our website cannot work properly.

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient.

The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site.

For all other types of cookies we need your permission.

This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.

You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website.

Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy.

Skip navigation
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
Popular content on our site
Prepare to “Find Your Greatness” as search for UK's future athletes gets underway The National Lottery operator Allwyn launches ChangeMakers fund for athletes as they make a difference back home Breadth of success targeted as British Olympic and Paralympic performance aspirations confirmed for Paris Investing in sport Strategic plan 2021-31
News

Brailsford and Tanner reveal key ingredients of their sustainable success

Published 11 December 2012

Cycling and Rowing have been among the most consistent performers for Great Britain at Olympic Games in recent years, delivering 56 medals between them at the past four Games.

The two men at the helm of these sports, Dave Brailsford and David Tanner, both have a very clear idea of what it takes to achieve and maintain this kind of success and they were willing to share their vision at the UK Sport World Class Performance Conference.

For the second Games running, GB’s cyclists topped the medal table at London 2012, winning eight gold medals and doubling the medal count of their nearest rivals, Germany. Following that showing, Performance Director Dave Brailsford is keen to keep his work force grounded as they look ahead to the next Olympic cycle.

He said: “One of the key things about sustainability is how you look after the people within the system. We’re so good at working with the athletes, but I would very much try and encourage everybody to come back to work completely task focused, regroup, and get their energy levels back up, and also look outside the sport for inspiration.”

For David Tanner, whose rowers won nine medals at London 2012, four of them gold, to top the medal table, the key is keeping focused on the task in hand.

He said: “I think we really need to move on quite fast. We need to make sure the physical landscape stays as good as it looks at the moment and make sure we don’t get side-tracked.

“The coming season will be challenging, but we don’t have to deliver the top goods, we need to make sure we peak at the right times.”

For both Tanner and Brailsford, the on-going support of the National Lottery has been vital. Over the past four Olympic cycles, cycling and rowing have received over £135 million of investment from UK Sport between them, made up of National Lottery and Exchequer funds.

For Brailsford, it has been the “single biggest factor” in enabling cycling’s maintained success.

He said: “If there’s one thing that has allowed us to, quite uniquely in the world of sport, plan for the long and medium term, as well as for the next race, it’s Lottery funding.”

Tanner added: “I would not have come into this career had Lottery funding not been on the horizon; that was the big attraction. The fact that it’s still there and is better than ever, makes a huge difference.”

However, both men were quick to explain that this money must be invested wisely to make a difference, with Tanner adding: “If you put money where it isn’t going to work, you have wasted public money, and that doesn’t help the top end at all.”

Discussing how the UK can continue to build a sustainable high performance system, Brailsford also cited the importance of coaching.

He said: “The coaching system is ever improving in Britain and now we have a wealth of very good coaches, and the more we can continue to invest in coach education and development, the more sustainable the system will become.

Tanner credited the work of UK Sport’s Elite Coaching Apprenticeship Programme (ECAP), saying: “I am on the steering group for ECAP and what is going on there with the Head of Coaching at UK Sport, Graham Taylor, is really very good. There are some good nuggets in UK Sport at the moment. We are well placed to move on from here.”
 

Share
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

News

Participants of the UK Sport Athlete To Coach programme taking part in a fireside conversation
UK Sport launches new programmes to support coaching across the high-performance community
21 May 2025
Headshot of Professor Nick Webborn CBE
Professor Nick Webborn CBE appointed new Chair of UK Sport
19 May 2025
Decoration image with the logos of UK Sport and Weirdo
Transforming fan experience: UK Sport introduces new engagement strategies for Olympic and Paralympic sports
15 May 2025
Looking to work in sport?
Find or advertise sports jobs in the UK
Search now
Our funders
  • Funded by UK Government
  • TNL partners
Who we work with
  • British Olympic Association
  • Paralympics GB
  • Logo of the UK Sports Institute
  • Sport England
  • Sport Northern Ireland
  • Sport Wales
  • Sport Scotland
  • Logo of the British Elite Athletes Association
  • Logo for UK Coaching
  • Logo of Sport Resolutions
Sitelogo
Sitemap
  • Homepage
  • About us
  • Our work
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
  • Resources
  • Jobs in sport
  • Website terms and privacy policy
  • Editorial policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility
  • Freedom of Information
  • Welsh language scheme
  • FAQs
Contact
UK Sport
6th Floor
10 South Colonnade
London
E14 4PU
E: info@uksport.gov.uk
T: +44 (0) 20 7211 5100
Follow us
Twitter Youtube Instagram LinkedIn

© Copyright UK Sport 2025