About UK Sport
Jessica Ennis
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Established by Royal Charter in 1997, UK Sport is responsible for investing around £100 million of public funds each year – from both the National Lottery and the Exchequer – in high performance sport.
Accountable to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), UK Sport has a very clear remit at the ‘top end’ of Britain’s sporting pathway, with no direct involvement in community or school sport.
Based in London, it employs around 90 staff and is overseen by the UK Sport Board, comprising home country representatives and independent members, which meets every two months.
Find out more about UK Sport in Introducing UK Sport.
Core Responsibilities
Performance
UK Sport is the strategic lead body for high performance sport in the UK. It invests Exchequer and National Lottery funds in Britain’s best Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes to maximise their chances of success on the world stage. For London and beyond, a third stream of private sector funding - Team 2012 - complements this public investment.
Using a ‘No Compromise’ philosophy which targets investment at those most likely to deliver medals at Olympic and Paralympic level, UK Sport works with each sport to provide the best possible support for athletes, providing everything they need from world-class coaches to cutting edge research and innovation, talent identification and Performance Lifestyle support.
Gold Event Series
The Gold Event Series is UK Sport’s major events programme for the period 2013-2019, and has been developed to help NGBs attract and stage some of the most important international sporting events to the UK, following the successful hosting of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Through the Gold Event Series, UK Sport will invest over £27m of National Lottery funding to help support the bidding and staging of major international sporting events up to 2019. A comprehensive range of new and expanded support services will also be provided to ensure that major events hosted in the UK are delivered to a world-leading standard.
International
UK Sport's Mission
UK Sport works in partnership to lead sport in the UK to world-class success
UK Sport works with National Governing Bodies and other partner organisations to help them build positive working relationships with International Federations and other international bodies. This helps ensure Britain has a voice on the world stage by assisting with the appointment of individuals into key roles at such organisations.
Furthermore, UK Sport’s well-established International Development assistance programme is recognised worldwide. UK Sport is the lead delivery agency for International Inspiration, the project which aims to deliver on the promise made by the London 2012 bid team to ‘reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport’.
