Monday 14 May 2012

Funding from the National Lottery

Over the past few years The National Lottery have been responsible for the funding of certain athletes. Funded athletes are given world class support in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics and beyond.

Since the funding began the National Lottery have been able to help talented Olympic and Paralympic athletes land 438 medals.

The National Lottery funding gives athlete three levels of funding:


  • World Class Podium - this type of funding and support is given to potential 2012 Olympic medal hopefuls. 
  • World Class Development - funding and support is given to athletes with the potential to be competitive at the 2012 Olympics. 
  • World Class Talent - this targets athletes who have the potential to win international medals by 2014.
Support given to Podium athletes is set to be worth around £55,000 per athlete, and depending on the sport athletes working at the Development stage are estimated to receive funding worth £30,000. 

In addition to this all athletes in the company's sponsorship program are entitled to apply for a personal award - Athlete Personal Award - This award is paid directly to the athletes and contributes to the athletes living and sporting costs. 

All athletes sponsored by the National Lottery receive support from:
  • Coaching
  • Training and competition support
  • Medical and scientific services
  • Access to the best facilities in the UK
Lottery funding also contributes to living costs as they understand that athletes who want to succeed in the market need to make full time commitments to their chosen sport. 

Funding schemes run from December 1st to the end of November yearly, this allows UK Athletics to undergo assessments on athletes, which review both current funded athletes and potential new athletes. 

Athletes are assessed using an Athlete Performance Template (APT) which is used to measure a wide range of factors which contribute towards being a successful Olympian. 

In previous years the template has looked at the ability to perform under pressure and whether athletes are able to perform and compete in this years London games. 

In 2008 the National Lottery funded 33 athletes at podium level, however in preparation for this years games the company have doubled the amount of athletes sponsored at this level to 68. 

However overall the National Lottery back over 1,200 athletes from various sports and are supported by professional players to help reach their ultimate goal.


breakdown of funded athletes, pie chart has been created using Chart go

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