UK Sport opens consultation on future strategy post Rio 2016

Posted: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 15:57

UK Sport opens consultation on future strategy post Rio 2016

Today UK Sport has officially sought input on its controversial 'no compromise' strategy which has received widespread commentary from all sides: some who have said that it only recognises elitist sport - others who claim the strategy has generated tremendous results, as we saw with the record medal success at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

UK Sport, the nation's high performance sports agency, is undertaking a strategic review to determine the way it will invest in sports beyond Rio 2016.

Liz Nicholl, CEO of UK Sport, told the BBC: "We really do want to listen. We are not arrogant enough to think that we know how to do everything best. The questions that we need to ask now, of the nation, of the government, of our partners, are: 'What is it that they want UK Sport to be focused on? What is it they want UK Sport to deliver?'

Earlier this year House of Lords' Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Select Committee said in their report that "the 'no compromise' approach of UK Sport has delivered medals for Team GB and has clearly improved top end performance". However, shortly after the report an all-party group of MPs reported that UK Sport's approach "risks the inadvertent disenfranchising of a whole segment of UK society by failing to back an elite team that can serve as a role model".

The consultation, facilitated by independent market and opinion research consultancy ComRes, is open until 10 December 2014. Findings will then be presented to the UK Sport Board in February, ahead of the 2017-2021 Investment Principles being finalised and agreed with the UK Sport Board and Government over the spring of 2015. Sports will also be invited to start work on their business cases for investment in the 2017-2021 funding cycle in the summer of 2015.

Tags: Elite Sport, Funding, Olympics, Policy, Rio 2016, UK Sport