UK Sport has today confirmed an additional £2.4million of funding for winter Olympic and Paralympic sport.
The boost is designed to support athletes preparing for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina, and follows in the wake of an extraordinarily successful 2022-23 season, which demonstrated the potential of British athletes in a wide range of winter sports.
Last season, the first in the Milan-Cortina cycle, was the most successful on record for British winter athletes. They won nine world championships medals across five Olympic sports (including four gold medals), and another nine medals in three Paralympic sports.
Two sports, Bobsleigh and Skeleton, will each receive more than £850,000 in additional funding for their programmes. Britain’s four-man bob finished second at the World Championships, the nation’s first medal in the event in 84 years and stood on the World Cup podium in seven of eight four-man races. While in Skeleton, Matt Weston won individual World Championship Gold and there were two medals in the new mixed team event.
Athletes across a number of sports delivered performances that have led to additional support, including:
- Ice dance pair Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear, who finished fourth at the World Championships, their best result to date and reached No.1 in the world rankings;
- Speed skater Cornelius Kersten, whose World Championship bronze in the men’s 1,000m was Britain’s first in the sport since 1951;
- Speed skater Ellia Smeding, who recorded a top-eight World Championship finish;
- Para Nordic athlete Scott Meenagh, who won silver at the World Championships, GB’s first ever medal in this discipline.
The uplift in investment was confirmed by the UK Sport Board when it met earlier this week, with the details as follows:
|
Sport
|
Annual Review Uplift (£)
|
Updated Total Investment (£)
|
|
Curling
|
-
|
6,367,525
|
|
Wheelchair Curling
|
-
|
1,669,417
|
|
Ski and Snowboard
|
41,430
|
7,207,193
|
|
Para Ski and Snowboard
|
141,493
|
5,244,764
|
|
Skeleton
|
856,088
|
5,641,123
|
|
Bobsleigh
|
895,738
|
2,795,926
|
|
Ice Hockey
|
-
|
900,000
|
|
Skating
|
431,035
|
1,991,035
|
|
Luge
|
-
|
85,000
|
|
TOTAL
|
2,365,784
|
31,901,983
|
Dr Kate Baker, Director of Performance at UK Sport said, “Today’s announcement of additional financial support for five of our Olympic and Paralympic winter sports recognises the incredible potential of our current crop of athletes.
“They delivered several extraordinary sporting moments last season, and we are excited to see them back in action later this year as we continue to pursue our ambition to become an ever-greater force in Winter Olympic and Paralympic sport.
“Of course, we wouldn’t be able to continue to invest in these talented young athletes without the incredible support we continue to receive from National Lottery players who power Olympic and Paralympic sport in this country.”
Natalie Dunman, Performance Director at British Skeleton said, “We are very grateful to UK Sport for their continued investment in the British Skeleton programme. Their support is invaluable, and we are very pleased with the outcome of this year’s review.
“We enjoyed a fantastic year across all levels of our programme in 2022/23 and we are thankful to UK Sport for their recognition of the progress made. We are determined to build on that success this season, with the ultimate aim of medalling at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, and UK Sport’s continued backing gives us the best opportunity to do that.
“We now continue our preparations for the new sliding season and are looking forward to getting back out on ice in October and starting where we left off last season.”
Mark Silva, Performance Director at British Bobsleigh said, “We’re really pleased with the outcome of the funding decision. The team have worked really hard to ensure bobsleigh in this country is in a positive position and it’s fantastic to see that being recognised by UK Sport.
“Last season’s achievements were really special and this uplift in funding gives us a real chance to ensure that success continues.
“We’re obviously very grateful to UK Sport for their backing but we’d also like to thank everyone who plays the National Lottery - without them, it wouldn’t be possible for us to continue competing with - and beating - the best in the world.”
Victoria Gosling OBE, Chief Executive at GB Snowsport said, “It has been a record-breaking season at GB Snowsport, with the Olympic and Paralympic teams winning more medals than ever before, including one in every discipline we represent.
“This has taken incredible skill and resilience from the team and the additional UK Sport funding will be crucial as we ramp up our preparations for Milan-Cortina. We want to give our athletes, like Scott Meenagh, every chance of success and are grateful to the National Lottery for their continued support and investment in such a special group of individuals.”
Jon Eley, Head of Performance at British Ice Skating said, “After an outstanding season from our athletes and support team, I am delighted that UK Sport have recognised their achievements with an increase in support on the team’s journey to Milan.
“I would like to thank UK Sport and The National Lottery, and extend my congratulations to our athletes, coaches and staff on their performances. We look forward to seeing the team continuing to reach it potential.”