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.
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
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 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 3×3 discipline, which sits outside the scope of the LA performance investment awards.
The funding package 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.
The additional funding will enable us to take all of this to the next level
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.”
Phil Smith, Executive Director of Partnerships at Sport England, added: “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 3×3 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.”
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.”