Lottery funding

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UK Sport

UK Sport is the Government agency responsible for maximising British success in the Olympic and Paralympic Games through investing in our most talented athletes. This involves working together with other sports bodies to deliver excellent results. To achieve this we target Lottery funding at athletes capable of delivering medal-winning performances.

On 1 April 2006, UK Sport took on responsibility in the UK and England for the performance pathway – the period of an athlete’s career that takes them from the time when their talent is identified through to the Podium.

Through our Lottery funded Major Events programme, we coordinate and support plans to stage major sporting events in the UK over the next 20 years. This long term approach to planning ensures that each sport bids for events that fit in with their Performance Pathway programmes and that funding is in place to support the cost of staging the events.

Type of work funded

UK Sport supports the UK’s top sportsmen and women, and those on the performance pathway, to train and compete against the best athletes in the world, by funding sports national governing bodies and direct to athletes through personal awards. We also distribute funds to sporting and other organisations to bid for and stage world class events in the UK.

Range of grant size: minimum- maximum

Grants range from around £1,000 to support an individual athlete on a programme, to a four year award of over £8 million to a key Olympic sport.

Types of scheme

From 1 April 2006 there are two high level schemes.

World Class Performance Pathway. This is a scheme in which individual athletes are invited to apply. It operates at three levels.

World Class Podium - this programme will support athletes with realistic medal capabilities at the next Olympic and Paralympic Games .
World Class Development – this programme is designed to support the stage of the pathway immediately beneath the Podium. It is aimed at atheletes who have shown that they have realistic medal winning capabilities for 2012, and also some athletes with the potential to be competitive in 2012.
World Class Talent – this programme will invest in athletes who have the potential to progress through the World Class pathway. Athletes in this category will have the potential to be winning world class medals by 2014 at the latest.

World Class Events programme – a scheme that sports bodies can apply to. It has set criteria and links to the Performance Pathway programme.

Geographical coverage

Throughout the UK

Any priority areas/key messages (for example partnership funding)

World Class Performance Pathway – these programmes will fund athletes from between between four and eight years, and the money invested will pay for preparation and development, including coaching, coaching development and training, sports science and medicine support, athlete development and performance programmes, and athlete education. Funding is reviewed every year. Partnership funding is not necessary.

World Class Events – UK Sport will fund the staging of sports events in the UK where teams and individuals representing a number of nations compete at World, European or Commonwealth level. Partnership funding is necessary but there is no fixed percentage required. UK Sport will not fund “mega” events such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.