UK Sport has said that it will commit an investment of £330 million on British sport in advance in preparation for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
Making their “greatest investment to date”, the funding will be allocated to more than 50 sports, including new sports like squash, flag football, baseball/softball, lacrosse, and paraclimbing.
For the second consecutive cycle, funding for athletics has been reduced, but breaking, which is no longer an Olympic sport, will not be aided. With this, UK Athletics CEO Jack Buckner said that they are “disappointed” with the decision that the funds will be cut by £1.725m.
Moreover, Chris Grant, the chair of the British Basketball Federation, said that basketball entered a new era after the sport benefited from a £2.925 million share to upgrade the 3×3 format. Additionally, athlete performance awards, which athletes receive to help cover their living and sporting expenses, will increase funding to over £400 million overall.
Dr Kate Baker, UK Sport director of performance and people, said: “It’s so important for us to be able to keep the momentum going as we head into the LA cycle… This is our greatest investment to date, with more sports set to embark on an Olympic and Paralympic campaign with us than ever before.”
She added: “I’m excited to work with the new sports receiving investment from us for the first time and warmly welcome them to our Olympic and Paralympic community.”
“With every Games cycle comes new sports and athletes with new stories to tell and inspiration to share. With our investment supporting more breadth than ever before, as well as the entertainment, drama and spectacle we’ll no doubt experience from a Games taking place in LA, I can’t wait to see what our athletes can achieve in four years’ time.”
Today we’ve announced a £330m investment in Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic sports towards success at @LA28.
It’s our greatest investment to date, thanks to the Government and The National Lottery.@DCMS | @TNLUK
— UK Sport (@uk_sport) December 16, 2024
Source: Eurosport