The primary role of UK Sport is to strategically invest National Lottery and Exchequer income to maximise the performance of UK athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major championship events.
We make four year awards, but in the context of a twelve year horizon. This reflects our ambition to develop a more sustainable, healthy and efficient sporting ecosystem, and acknowledges that this will take time. Awards are made against three specific investment streams - Podium, Academy and Progression with these investments underpinned by a core award. Each investment stream is monitored separately to track progress towards long-term goals.
Podium
Podium investment is designed to enable athletes to realise their potential for medal success and prepare them to thrive in the context of international competition. Investment is made into named athletes and teams capable of achieving medal success within 4 years and who have exhibited the commitment and behaviour required to both pursue success and make a positive contribution to their sport.
Academy
Academy investment is designed to ensure the complete preparation of athletes (physical, mental, knowledge and culture) and enable them to graduate to podium level. Investment is made into named athletes and teams that have met minimum standards and have confirmed their capability to pursue medal success and make a positive contribution to their sport. Meeting developmental goals, the athletes and teams will be on an upward trajectory and able to bridge the gap to podium within a maximum of 4 years. A distinct Confirmation phase is a key part of Academy investment.
Progression
Progression is a new investment stream designed to accelerate the development of sports by stimulating change in their performance development system and culture. The intent is to build a more sustainable performance system and thriving high performance culture. The initial investment initially features seven sports – Climbing, Surfing, Skateboarding, Fencing, Table Tennis, Weightlifting and Basketball.
National Squads Support Fund
The National Squads Support Fund contributes to the development of credible national squads, specifically enabling athletes to attend major international championships and access other events that form the critical path to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Eight sports are being supported through the fund initially.
Core investment is designed as a contribution to the cost of leadership, administration, essential NGB performance overheads, and the forming and fielding of the most critical national teams (e.g. World and European Championships). The purpose of Core Investment is to develop the capacity of NGBs to lead and administer performance responsibilities, and to safeguard this essential function from fluctuation in public investment.
Partners - UK Sport also makes significant investment in its partners including the English Institute of Sport and other Home Country Sports Institutes and the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations.
Support Services - UK Sport also runs a number of world leading centralised strategic support services including the development of world class coaches and running talent identification campaigns to fast track athletes into the right sports.
Athlete Performance Awards (APAs)
Direct athlete funding comes in the shape of an Athlete Performance Award (APA). This award, which is solely funded by National Lottery income, is paid directly to the athletes and contributes to their living and sporting costs. APAs are administered centrally by UK Sport and are aimed at enabling athletes to pursue medal success in the Olympic or Paralympic Games and in other major championship events. APA funding is designed to enable athletes to fully engage in a sport’s high-performance programme and meet the demands associated with progression towards the Olympic and Paralympic podium.
APAs are not designed to support athletes that could be considered professional – i.e. athletes that have secured an income via professional or semi-professional contract, through prize money, endorsement or related income streams, that enables them to operate independently and as such are subject to a means test.
Podium APAs are designed to support athletes whose profile indicates a strong prospect of achieving/contributing to medal winning performances at the Olympic or Paralympic Games within the cycle and who are already achieving/contributing to international results within the medal zone
• Podium awards are made at A and B levels
• An additional award level ‘Paris Potential’ is provided to support athletes that have been in receipt of a Podium level award, do not meet the competition outcome standards to retain an A or B award, yet remain a strong medal prospect for Paris.
Podium Potential APAs are designed to support athletes who have been identified and confirmed as having the potential to bridge the gap to Olympic and Paralympic medal success and have made the commitment to pursue this goal. Podium Potential awards are made at C and D levels.
Entry Level APAs are designed to support athletes in their first 1-2 years of inclusion in high-performance programmes, to provide a period through which the potential of the athlete is explored and confirmed.