NEWS RELEASE | UNDER EMBARGO: UK Sport says ‘we are ready for LA cycle’ as it announces greatest investment to date towards powering success and inspiring impact

Monday 16 December 2024 - UK Sport has revealed its greatest investment to date with £330m in Government and National Lottery funding set to benefit more than 50 sports as they embark on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games cycle. This investment bolsters UK Sport’s mission to create the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments; reaching, inspiring and uniting the nation.   

The announcement comes following over a year of planning, together with sports, to understand their performance strategies and ambitions for LA and any specific financial needs due to anticipated changes ahead in the sport. It will see a record number of sports receive investment towards winning well in LA and beyond, continuing UK Sport’s commitment to supporting long term success and a broader range of champions and medallists.    

Olympic and Paralympic sport occupies a special place in the hearts of the British public with more than 80% saying they were proud of Team GB and ParalmypicsGB’s performances at Paris 2024*. The investments announced today will enable the UK’s Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes to continue to deliver inspiration and impact for people and communities right across the UK. 

 

The Olympic sports funded are:   

World Class Programmes (18) 

Archery, Aquatics (All), Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Canoeing, Cycling (All), Equestrian, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Taekwondo, Triathlon and Weightlifting. 

Development sports (9) 

Basketball, Fencing, Handball, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Wrestling. 

 

The Paralympic sports funded are: 

World Class Programmes (18) 

Boccia, Para Archery, Para Athletics, Para Badminton, Para Canoe, Para Cycling, Para Equestrian, Para Rowing, Para Swimming, Para Table Tennis, Para Taekwondo, Para Triathlon, Powerlifting, Shooting Para Sport, VI Judo, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing and Wheelchair Rugby. 

Development sports (1) 

Goalball. 

New Olympic and Paralympic sports   

Five sports set to return or debut at the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028 are collectively set to benefit from £3m in total from UK Sport to support their ambitions in LA. They are Baseball/Softball, Flag Football, Lacrosse, Para Climbing and Squash.    

3 x 3 Basketball pilot in partnership with Sport England 

As part of an innovative pilot project in partnership with Sport England, an additional £1.55m has been allocated to Basketball to pursue the 3x3 discipline, which sits outside the scope of the LA performance investment awards.  

 

Winning well  

The funding package announced today will enable the UK to remain a world leading Olympic and Paralympic nation. The investments are designed to support sports to be ambitious, innovative and proactive in their approach to winning well in the next cycle and beyond, and critical to supporting Team GB and ParalympicsGB to continue to aspire to a top five medal table position in LA and Brisbane.  

This funding package has also been designed to support both sports and athletes in the current financial climate. Sports, as part of their investment for LA, have all been provided with funding aimed at addressing some of the inflationary pressures, with an extra uplift for Paralympic sports in recognition of the unique requirements in the Paralympic environment.  

 

Dr Kate Baker, Director of Performance and People, UK Sport, said: “Following the spectacular performances of Team GB and ParalympicsGB in Paris this summer, 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. 

“I’m excited to work with the new sports receiving investment from us for the first time (Flag Football, Lacrosse, Para Climbing and Squash), as well as Baseball/Softball who received National Squads funding in the Paris cycle, and warmly welcome them to our Olympic and Paralympic community. 

“For the first time ever, we worked in a fully joined up way with our Home Nations partners on our joint investment into both the UK’s talent and performance pathways. Working in a much more collaborative and efficient manner is a performance advantage connecting our sport system from grassroots to podium across all parts of the UK. 

“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.”  

Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, said: 

“It’s thanks to the unwavering support of the UK Government and our wonderful National Lottery players that we are able to announce this historic investment today, towards continuing to create the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments. 

“The past few years have been tough for our sports with the delayed Tokyo Games and shortened Paris cycle, and we know finances remain under extreme pressure. We have looked to relieve some of this pressure through our investment today, however we know we must continue to innovate and collaborate, together, to grow a thriving sporting system that’s fit for the future.  

“Huge credit to the leaders in our sports for all the hard work they’ve done, with us, over the past 18 months to put us in this brilliant position to be able to say we are ready to win well in the LA cycle and beyond.” 

Stephanie Peacock, Minister of Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth said:  

“As we saw this summer, the whole country comes together to support our Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes and to celebrate their success. I am pleased that our record £9 million a year increase in funding for UK Sport means that more athletes will have the opportunity to go for gold in Los Angeles in 2028.

"As well as representing our country and providing enjoyment to the millions watching, our athletes also inspire people of all ages to get involved in sport in their own communities.”

Phil Smith, Executive Director of Partnerships at Sport England, said: 

“The athletes that make it to the podium all start somewhere – and for many, that’s at their local grassroots club. So we’re delighted to be working in new ways with UK Sport, investing in new sports like 3x3 basketball and prioritising inclusion from the grassroots up, with the ambition that future Olympic and Paralympic GB teams reflect the great diversity of Great Britain.” 

James Hope-Gill, Chief Executive of Skateboard GB said:  

“We are delighted to receive this grant funding from UK Sport which will give us the opportunity to support talented skaters, targeting the Olympic Games in LA in 2028. 

“This continued support from UK Sport is a massive benefit to the sport and will enable us to work with elite skateboarding to build the talent and world-class performance programmes that complement the culture of skateboarding.” 

Stephen Park CBE, Performance Director for the Great Britain Cycling Team said:  

“We’re incredibly pleased with the funding award announced today for cycling. With the continued support of UK Sport, we are able to support the maximum number of athletes to train full-time across the seven Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, with the ultimate aim of delivering world-beating performances.  

“Our ongoing partnership with UK Sport and this funding commitment for the next four years through to LA 2028 will allow our athletes to continue to inspire the nation to experience the joy of cycling for themselves and increase the social impact that they can provide in their communities, both on and off the bike.” 

Matthew Curtain, CEO of British Weightlifting said:

"This investment is a powerful statement of support for Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting. It ensures our athletes have the resources to focus on LA 2028 and highlights the importance of building a strong legacy for the future of our two sports. British Weight Lifting fully acknowledges the partnership with UK Sport and Sport England, we are hugely grateful for the unprecedented funding.” 

Leslie Rance, Chair of British Lacrosse said: 

“Today’s funding announcement from UK Sport marks a significant moment for British Lacrosse as we prepare for the historic return of our sport to the Olympics, this time in a new format, sixes, come LA28.  We welcome UK Sport’s investment, which recognises lacrosse as a dynamic, exciting and fast-evolving sport with the potential to make a significant impact at the Games.  

“This funding will empower our teams to continue to deliver world-class performances and fulfil their potential, and we are committed to maximising the impact of this investment through prudent stewardship, innovation and collaboration.     

“We thank UK Sport for recognising our vision and are proud to be a part of this ecosystem of high-performing sports striving for excellence on the world stage. We look forward to collaborating with UK Sport and other sports to share insights, foster, learn, and collectively drive British success at the next Olympics.” 

Ruth Daniels, CEO of British Triathlon said:  

“We’re really happy to have the continued support from UK Sport, the National Lottery and the Government as a whole and delighted to have received an increase in our funding for this Olympic and Paralympic cycle. This support is vital as we plan for LA and whilst the broader economic position is still challenging, with two long-haul Games cycles to come, this level of confidence from our biggest investment partner is invaluable.” 

Chris Grant, Chair of British Basketball Federation said:  

“Basketball is the second most-played team sport among young people, and nobody doubts that we have the talent to compete and win at the very highest levels. High quality development for players, coaches and professional staff sits alongside performance and player welfare as key themes in the strategic future of British Basketball. The additional funding will enable us to take all of this to the next level. It is an exciting time for the sport.” 

ENDS