UK Sport

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
the national lottery
Twitter Facebook Youtube Instagram LinkedIn
  • About us
    • Our Directors Team
    • Our Board
    • Panels
    • Strategic Plan 2021-31
    • Our partners
    • English Institute of Sport
    • Accessibility
    • Contact us
    • Media centre
    • FAQs
    • Working at UK Sport
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Talent identification
    • Coaching
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Leadership, development & governance
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • Canoeing
    • Curling
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • Para-Rowing
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Annual reports
    • Board minutes
    • British Cycling independent review
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • High Performance System Advisory Group
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports
    • Privacy policies
    • Publication Scheme
    • Recruitment framework
    • The Whyte Review
    • Tenders
    • Transparency and open data
    • Welsh language scheme
  • Jobs in sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Jobs in sport
    • Submit a job
  • About us
    • Our Directors Team
    • Our Board
    • Panels
    • Strategic Plan 2021-31
    • Our partners
    • English Institute of Sport
    • Accessibility
    • Contact us
    • Media centre
    • FAQs
    • Working at UK Sport
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Talent identification
    • Coaching
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Leadership, development & governance
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • Canoeing
    • Curling
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • Para-Rowing
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Annual reports
    • Board minutes
    • British Cycling independent review
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • High Performance System Advisory Group
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports
    • Privacy policies
    • Publication Scheme
    • Recruitment framework
    • The Whyte Review
    • Tenders
    • Transparency and open data
    • Welsh language scheme
  • Jobs in sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Jobs in sport
    • Submit a job
Press Enter to Search
News

UK Sport Board sets future direction for high performance sport beyond Rio

Published 19 March 2015

  • Consultation reveals 86% of sport/partner and 70% of public respondents endorse UK Sport continuing to focus on Olympic and Paralympic medal success as a key goal*
  • UK Sport will also explore wider impact factors (beyond medals) including number of medallists and participation levels in its measures of success if required to make investment decisions around sports of equal medal potential 
  • UK Sport will continue to invest in an eight year pathway, but will consider investing for a longer period of time where there is a performance need if finances allow 
  • UK Sport will look to collaborate further across all of the Home Country Sports Councils to better align the high performance system and develop a common investment policy at the Performance Foundation level

The Board of UK Sport, the nation’s high performance sports agency, has undertaken a strategic review of its performance investment policy to begin to determine the way the organisation will invest in sports beyond Rio 2016.

The UK Sport Board was asked to consider the findings of an extensive stakeholder and public consultation, facilitated by independent market and opinion research consultancy ComRes, to determine the best way to build on the success of the UK high performance system to date.

UKS_Consultation_2_WEB
UKS_Consultation_1_WEB
UKS_Consultation_3_WEB

Since its inception in 1997, UK Sport has with National Lottery funding helped Great Britain move from 36th on the Olympic medal table at the Atlanta Games in 1996 to third in both the Olympic and Paralympic medal tables at London 2012, amassing a record breaking 185 medals across 30 Olympic and Paralympic sports and in turn creating 213 Olympic and Paralympic medal winning athletes to inspire the nation. 

Likewise, at the Sochi Winter Games last year, Great Britain equalled its best ever performance in the winter Olympics and delivered its best in 30 years in the winter Paralympics, creating 21 medal winners overall.

The strategic review, and public consultation, focused on exploring a set of key principles which sit at the heart of UK Sport’s investment policy. 

Read the UK Sport Board Statement which sets out in full the agreed actions that will guide strategic planning for the Tokyo Cycle 2017-21 >

UK Sport Chair, Rod Carr, said: “The Board was impressed by the level and quality of engagement with UK Sport’s strategic review from both the public and our sector partners. It demonstrated that UK Sport’s role in delivering medal success is valued highly by our stakeholders and the British public, and that they’d like to see our investment reach even more aspiring athletes. 

“We are committed to continuously improving our high performance system, and I’d like to personally thank those that contributed to the review for helping us draw some clear conclusions around how we can continue to strive for world class success while delivering the greatest possible impact from investing National Lottery and Government funds into British sport.”  

UK Sport CEO, Liz Nicholl, said: “UK Sport has proven its ability to deliver Olympic and Paralympic medal success over a period of 18 years, and it is essential that we continue to refine our investment policy to ensure we remain competitive on the world stage and deliver the best possible return on our investment while continuing to build on the system that helps our talented athletes achieve medal success. 

“We will always have to operate within finite resources, but we understand the desire from sports and partners in the sector, as well as the public, for us to be able to extend the impact of our investment into more sports. We will now work to develop a clear, prioritised and costed plan, in line with our Board’s direction, and in collaboration with Government, to ensure we are ready to implement our new policy in time for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic investment cycle. 

“While planning for Tokyo 2020, we will continue to provide our very best support to every potential medallist preparing for Rio, giving them the best possible chance to succeed and make the nation proud again next summer.”  

Minister for Sport Helen Grant said: "UK Sport has played a vital role in Britain's medal success over the years, backed by significant investment from the Government and the National Lottery. But it is right that it looks at what more it can do to help maintain that success. I welcome UK Sport continuing to focus on medals and medallists to help Britain succeed in future Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to keep up the momentum from London 2012 and Sochi. But I am also pleased that it is open to taking the broader value of its investment into account in its funding decisions."

Download the full ComRes Strategic Review >

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
News
five athletes sat on stage in mid disussion
International Relations Seminar 2023
21 March 2023
Eilish crossing the line celebrating with her arms in the air
New research shows British public support athletes speaking out and driving social change
8 March 2023
Female wheelchair basketball player lines up a shot at the hoop.
UK Sport makes first awards from NGB Development Fund to support organisational health
22 February 2023
Sport jobs in the UK
Find & advertise UK based sports jobs here
Read more
Funding Partners
  • DCMS
  • TNL partners
Strategic Partners
  • British Olympic Association
  • Paralympics GB
  • english institute of sport logo
  • Sport England
  • Sport Northern Ireland
  • Sport Wales
  • Sport Scotland
Sitelogo
Sitemap
  • Homepage
  • About us
  • Our work
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
  • Resources
  • Jobs in sport
  • UK Sport editorial policy
  • Freedom of Information Act 2000
  • Website terms
  • Accessibility
  • Cookies policy
  • 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 Facebook Youtube Instagram LinkedIn

© Copyright UK Sport 2023