UK Sport Announces Record £330m for LA 2028 Olympics

UK Sport will invest a record £330m into Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic sports for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles with over 50 sports set to benefit. Including athlete performance awards (APAs) which support athletes’ living and training costs, the total funding will exceed £400m. Five new sports added for the Los Angeles Games including baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, Para-climbing and squash have all secured funding.

However, athletics has experienced a budget reduction for the second consecutive cycle despite its recent successes. Breaking which made its debut at the Paris Games is no longer eligible for funding because it has been removed from the Olympic program. UK Sport CEO Sally Munday emphasized that funding decisions are based on a sport’s future potential rather than recent performance. She said UK Athletics would receive over £30m, sufficient to support its Olympic and Paralympic programs.

Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics expressed disappointment, arguing that the sport’s 10 medals at the World Championships and Olympics warranted greater investment. Canoeing also faced a funding reduction of over £500,000. Some sports like rowing received increased funding, rising to £24.85m for LA after a previous cut between Tokyo and Paris. Meanwhile, British basketball secured £2.925m which will primarily support the growth of the 3×3 format.

British Basketball Federation chair Chris Grant said the funding signals a “new era” for the sport. Munday reiterated the goal for Team GB to consistently rank in the top five of the Olympic medal table. After finishing seventh in Paris behind France and the Netherlands, she stated UK Sport would analyze all contributing factors to improve outcomes in LA. Great Britain achieved 65 Olympic medals and 124 Paralympic medals in Paris and UK Sport remains committed to building on that success in the upcoming Games.