Britain adopts tough approach to Olympic funding

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's elite Olympians will be given 246.8 million pounds ($364 million; 289 million euros) to deliver a top-four finish in the London 2012 medals table.

Nineteen sports will share the funding, UK Sport said Wednesday, with rowing capturing the biggest share of 27.47 million pounds.

But UK Sport's self-styled brutal approach will see nine sports, including fencing and shooting that offer little prospect of producing medal winners in four years' time, face cuts as a result of a shortfall of around 50 million pounds in anticipated government funding.

Despite effectively dismissing them as no-hopers, officials hope to persuade wealthy benefactors to plug part of the funding gap.

With its best medal haul for a century -- 19 golds, 13 silvers and 15 bronzes -- Team GB finished fourth in the Beijing medal table.

"It is disappointing that, despite extensive lobbying we find ourselves in the position now, just three months after the most successful Olympic Games for Great Britain in 100 years, where the Government has failed to honor their funding promise to all our Olympic sports," British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt said. "For those sports that have learnt today that they face an uncertain financial future, two years of planning and investment has been thrown up in the air."

A total of just 12 million pounds -- less than the allocation for hockey which hasn't won medals since 1988 (men) and 1992 (women) -- has been made available for beach volleyball, fencing, handball, shooting, table tennis, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling. The division of funds among these underperforming sports will be decided in January.

"We are not abandoning these people," said UK Sport chairwoman Sue Campbell. "But we have to look in a businesslike way, making tough decisions.

"I have seen enough individuals to think it's possible to raise funding from the private sector, but maybe not the full 50 million pounds. We are not going to sell these sports, we are selling the dream. This is a home Olympics and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Basketball, boosted by the inclusion of Chicago Bulls small forward Luol Deng, is one of the big winners.

Despite not yet qualifying for 2012, the sport will enjoy a surge in investment of 235 percent from the pre-Beijing levels to 8.7 million pounds.

"It's fantastic news. We're very pleased with our allocation and we're very much up for the challenge that it brings," British Basketball performance director Chris Spice said. "In the current climate we were expecting anything from a 25 percent cut to a bit of a rise."

Fifteen Paralympic sports will share 45.61 million pounds to produce a top-two finish in the medals table, although four underachieving events will experience cuts.

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