British basketball handed major boost in LA 2028 Olympic funding

British basketball has received a major boost after UK Sport more than doubled its funding allocation for the LA 2028 Olympic cycle.

The sport is by far the biggest beneficiary from the record overall package of £330m, which will see its funding increasing from £1.35m to £2.93m.

Skateboarding, climbing, weightlifting and baseball/softball are the other big winners, with their investment set to rise by more than 50 per cent from the last four-year cycle.

Flag football, lacrosse and squash have joined the funding programme for the first time as they will all be part of the LA 2028 Games.

Breaking has lost all of its UK Sport funding as it has been dropped from the next Olympics, while athletics and canoeing are the only other sports to see a reduction.

Handball will not receive any increase, while surfing, table tennis, volleyball and equestrian sports have been granted only small uplifts.

The funding announcement is a fillip for British basketball, which enjoys strong participation numbers but has endured a troubled few years at the professional level.

“It is an exciting time for the sport,” said British Basketball Federation chair Chris Grant.

“Basketball is the second most-played team sport among young people, and nobody doubts that we have the talent to compete and win at the very highest levels.

“High quality development for players, coaches and professional staff sits alongside performance and player welfare as key themes in the strategic future of British Basketball. 

“The additional funding will enable us to take all of this to the next level.”

Paralympic sports get bigger uplift

Funding for Paralympic sports has increased by a bigger margin, with its world class programme up 12.6 per cent on average compared with 4.9 per cent for Olympic sports.

UK Sport’s funding comes from the Treasury and National Lottery proceeds. In addition, medal hopefuls can receive Athlete Performance Awards, which are funded solely by the lottery.

“Following the spectacular performances of Team GB and ParalympicsGB in Paris this summer, it’s so important for us to be able to keep the momentum going as we head into the LA cycle,” said UK Sport’s director of performance and people Dr Kate Baker.

“This is our greatest investment to date, with more sports set to embark on an Olympic and Paralympic campaign with us than ever before.” 

It comes after athletes warned that many would consider quitting if their funding levels were not significantly increased for LA 2028, following years of real-terms decline due to inflation.

“The past few years have been tough for our sports with the delayed Tokyo Games and shortened Paris cycle, and we know finances remain under extreme pressure,” said UK Sport CEO Sally Munday. 

“We have looked to relieve some of this pressure through our investment today, however we know we must continue to innovate and collaborate, together, to grow a thriving sporting system that’s fit for the future.”