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Sports boss quits in row over 2012 legacy
Matthew Beard29.11.07
One of the most senior figures in British sport has quit after a row over the legacy of the London Olympics.
Derek Mapp stood down as chairman of Sport England after he was told to change his priorities just 14 months into the job. He warned the change of policy could be a "tragedy".
His resignation comes after sustained criticism that the sports legacy of the 2012 project - one of the key planks of the bid - remains unclear and uncosted.
Culture Secretary James Purnell told Sport England - the quango responsible for developing grassroots sport - that his department no longer wanted to fund recreational activities such as aerobics, dance and cyling. The funding was seen as crucial to a pledge to get two million more Britons active, using the Games as a catalyst.
However, after lobbying from mainstream sports, Mr Purnell has opted to prioritise development of activities such as rugby, football, netball and athletics. It is thought he would rather departments such as health and education help to fund recreational activities as they are part of a wider 2012 agenda to improve the nation's health.
Mr Mapp said: "It is with a heavy heart that I resign but any retention of my position will be selfish and make Sport England's job more difficult. Without the Secretary of State's support there is no point in subjecting Sport England to that.
"I am saddened by the fact that [Mr Purnell] has interpreted my pleas for caution in his enactment of a change of policy as anything other than wanting to protect the very individuals whose lives have been touched by this great organisation."
Mr Mapp was appointed in October 2006. His appointment attracted claims of cronyism because of his friendship with the then deputy prime minister John Prescott. He fell out with the Government after Olympics minister Tessa Jowell raided the Lottery for a second time to plug a gap in the 2012 budget. The move will cost Sport England around £100m and was described by Mr Mapp as a "cut too far".
Reader views (5)
Jim from Brentwood is spot on.
In addition what's going to happen to the much lauded Active People survey where high scores were largely attributable to those non-sports of walking and cycling!
Local authorities aren't too impressed either as a number of key targets are based on increasing participation.
- Rob, Horsham
The legacy is that these olympics are not welcome here! We cannot afford more taxes and bad useless infrastructure.
- Lordy, London
Another British sporting shambles! Sport England has the annual target of getting an extra 1% of the population active each year between now and 2020. As active means 5, 30 minutes sessions per week there are not enough traditional sports facilities to cope. The increase can only come from informal activities such as dance, cycling, jogging and aerobics.
If Sport England is no longer in the business of supporting these activites it may as well abandon the annual target and get back to its old job of grant aiding the annual failures at Wimbledon and supporting Seb Coe's world travel.
- Jim Lynch, Brentwood, UK
This Government is very quickly going to pot. What will the Tories do to Sport England when they inevitably get into power? Change it all back? Shambles. I hope Purnell knows what he's doing because football, rugby, netball and athletics won't get two million off their backsides by 2012. Not a chance!
- Jack, London, UK
It is strange: Londoners know the city infrastructure cannot support the Olympics and do not want them but still Red Ken wanted to be on the front pages and ignore Londoners refusal.
I think they should all resign and leave Stratford where it is.
- Georgie, Islington, London
