In a strategic report published as part of the body’s report and accounts for the year to end-March 2015, UK Sport identifies the CSR as a “key” risk, since “it is possible that the government will seek further efficiencies and savings”.

It goes on: “The current timetable suggests that this exercise will be taking place during the period in which we are at the height of our planning for the next Olympic/Paralympic cycle.

“Further reductions through our exchequer settlement (or uncertainty if process drags on, or is delayed) would have a significant impact on our ability to sustain performance into the next cycle.

“Further to this, we need to be in a position of some certainty to be able to provide guidance to sports early enough in 2015/16 regarding their submissions to us for the Tokyo 2020 cycle.”

The outcome of the CSR is expected to be known in late November.

The body has already had to absorb a reduction in exchequer funding from £240 million ($371 million/€332 million) over the 2009-13 period to an expected £158 million ($244 million/€219 million) between 2013 and 2017.

Tracey Crouch, the new British Sports Minister, recently launched a public consultation amid growing concerns that the country is failing to live up to the legacy promise of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

This is expected to run until early October.

UK Sport’s warning follows a year of better financial news for the organisation, which has set UK athletes a demanding “aspirational goal” of winning more Olympic and Paralympic medals at Rio 2016 than the respective tallies of 65 and 120 achieved at London 2012.

Grant-in-aid [exchequer funding] received in the year to March 31, 2015 was £49.45 million, up well over £6 million from the previous year after inclusion of £7.7 million of exceptional funding related to Britain’s successful staging of the early stages of the 2014 Tour de France cycle race.

Lottery funding bounced back to £89 million, from £76 million in 2013/14, partly thanks to a £6.8 million payment linked to closure of the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund.

This essentially restored Lottery proceeds to the sort of level UK Sport received in 2012-13.

UK Sport’s Lottery balance actually edged up in the latest year to just over £69 million.

However, the report made clear that it is “forecast to reduce over the remainder of the Rio investment cycle as planned, as the funding requirements of the world-class performance system in the run-up to the Games are met”.



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