UK Sport gets surprise 29 per cent budget boost to go for Olympic gold
Elite sport quango, UK Sport, will receive a 29 per cent increase in government funding to help Britain’s athletes at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and also in Tokyo in 2020.
The surprise announcement came today in the UK’s government spending review.
Chancellor George Osborne told Parliament: "I will help UK Sport – which has been living on diminishing returns – with a 29 per cent increase in its budget, so we can go for gold in Rio and Tokyo.”
The Exchequer provides a third of UK Sport's funding, with the rest coming from the National Lottery.
The amount will increase from £135m to £148m in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
The announcement is an achievement for UK Sport chair Rod Carr and his team, who were anticipating cuts and had expressed concern at the prospect.
Carr has been lobbying the government since his appointment in 2013, to stress the value of sporting medals.
In an interview with Sports Management he said: "People get a great deal of joy, comfort and general sense of wellbeing from seeing people with the Union flag on them doing well in the Olympics, as was proven in 2012. It massively boosts the nation’s morale."
He also set the organisation a tough challenge, saying: “We want to be the first nation in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to improve its medal haul after hosting the Games.”
This means that Team GB is expected to bring back more than 65 medals from the 2016 Rio Olympics – and another 120 from the Paralympic Games.
Osbourne also announced the government will back the UK to bid for two major sports events in 2121 – the Cycling Road World Championships and the Rugby League World Cup, with Manchester as the bidding city for the latter.
The spending review document reads: "Following the success of hosting the London 2012 Olympics and the Rugby World Cup, the government will support the ambition to host the Cycling Road World Championships and the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in the Northern Powerhouse [Manchester]."
Fears that community and grassroots sport would be hit proved unfounded, as they were given a “flat cash settlement”, to maintain their current status. The UK’s anti doping agency will also have its funding maintained.
The main dark cloud for sport will be cuts to local authority budgets, which may mean some community sport is affected by a fall in spending on local sport and leisure facilities. This could open up opportunities for community groups and private contractors, but will also hit the most deprived areas.
The government announced an end to the exemption on income tax which currently applies to non-UK athletes who compete in events in Britain.
This change will come into effect after the London Anniversary games in 2016, although the World Athletics Championships in London in 2017 will still be exempt.
Sport England uses behavioural theory to boost participation
Sport England CEO: Kids Company collapse has changed the funding landscape
Sport England to disburse £8.2m of Lottery funding to help tackle inactivity
Sport England and UK Sport "could work better together"
Sport England gives £12m to National Partners
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
