Morning:
8°c
£79m funding gap 'will doom British hockey to failure at 2012 Games'
Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent5 Nov 2008
BRITISH hockey has become the latest sport to warn that it may flop at the London Olympics if the Government fails to plug a £79million black hole in funding.
The head of British hockey has written to Culture Secretary Andy Burnham warning the cash shortfall will probably mean the teams fail to deliver a medal at the 2012 Games.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has until next month to find the extra cash which was pledged as part of a £300 million package to boost the home nation's performance at the 2012 Games.
It is thought at least one third of the 24 sports which receive funding via the elite sports agency, UK Sport, may have their allocation cut.
Only a handful of successful teams such as sailing, rowing and cycling have been assured of funding.
Last month the Standard revealed that funding issues may mean that Britain's first Olympic handball team will have to be disbanded.
Philip Kimberley, chief executive of Great Britain Hockey, said: "We are lobbying hard within the system. We are making the point that the extra we need for the next four years is small beer in comparison with the £9.3 billion being spent on the Olympic Park. We have told Mr Burnham that without the money we will not be competitive."
In Beijing, the men's team - Olympic champions in 1988 - came fifth and the women sixth. The sport received £8.5million in public funds in the four years to Beijing but its next allocation is in jeopardy as no medal has been won in recent Games.
A £79million funding gap has emerged because the Government has failed to attract private sector sponsorship in a crowded market.
Mr Burnham has said he is confident the cash can be raised, partly through a "Medal Hopes" scheme in which corporate sponsors can buy the time of individual athletes.
Reader views (8)
We must all remember that such sportsmen and women are persuing their hobby at a cost to all other individuals. These costs cannot be justified. There are far more important healthcare, educational and social issues that require attention before such self-centred people should be given this type and amount of funding!!!
- Arthur, Sheffield. England. S10, 02/12/2008 12:56
Report abuse
£8.9 Million for Hockey that produced no medals, and a respectable 5th for men and 6th for Women.5th/6th position has been Hockeys goal since first securing funding in 1996!Hockey must be measured, on the return on investment over the past decade! In reality GB were the best funded hockey squads at the Olympics not to produce. Full funding for London is unlikely to yield results on past performance, as reality has yet to kick in ,that grass roots hockey is starved of funding whilst Team GB reaps all the financial benefits. Can Britain overtake Holland ,Australia, Gemany,Spain and Argentina in four years? Highly unlikely if you observe international Hockey results over a period of 10 years!
- Tt, Blackpool, UK, 02/12/2008 09:03
Report abuse
If it's going to cost an additional 79 million to have a chance of winning, shouldn't we think about backing out of this marginal game and spending 79 million pounds on some of that medicine that's so expensive the NHS would rather see people die than pay for?
- Ben, London, W1, 06/11/2008 12:03
Report abuse
'Give us £79 million or the handball gets it.' Not the scariest bit of blackmail I've ever heard, but getting close to being the most fatuous.
Don't these pompous retards realise that no adult gives a toss about their infantile games? Astronomy in this country is under dire threat from lack of a similar amount, and other ground-breaking scientific endeavours also.
And can someone tell me how you get to be Chief executive of Great Britain Hockey? I have a nasty feeling that I may be helping to pay his salary, though I've never been consulted on the matter. £79 million is indeed a small sum against £9.3 billion, but I'd rather compare it with £300,000, the amount my local Council is hoping to save by demolishing all its public toilets, or £50,000 , which is what it saved by closing a library.
- Mdj, Leyton, e10 london, 05/11/2008 23:23
Report abuse
Welcome to the recession. Even for the Entertainments Industry. Give us the Legacy first and then see if there's some dosh left for all the sports stuff.
- Steve, Dalston, 05/11/2008 17:55
Report abuse
Britain's hockey teams fail year after year, so who cares anyway?
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 05/11/2008 16:47
Report abuse
It is time all these sports stopped sitting down and moaning that they can not perform without millions of pounds of taxpayers money and go out and encourage people to take part. Sarah is wrong. I played hockey for many years. It is a fun fast game and is exiting to watch.
- Patrick Griffin, Dalston, London, 05/11/2008 14:36
Report abuse
Oh, dear, what a shame! A game that no one in their right mind would watch or play, nevermind enjoy!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 05/11/2008 11:56
Report abuse
