British Basketball was one of seven sports to lose its Olympic funding, along with water polo, synchronised swimming, weightlifting, wheelchair fencing, five-a-side football and goalball.

UK Sport announced the cuts earlier this month which saw British Basketball lose its £7 million ($11.5 million/€8.5 million) funding for its Olympic programmes, leaving the governing body furious at the move and promising to appeal the decision.

A report by the House of Lords Select Committee in November called for a review of the "no compromise" approach adopted by UK Sport to the funding of sports that are failing to produce success at Olympic level stating that it has "an inherent bias against team sports, and fails to help emerging sport".

Tthe Government responded to the findings of the report entitled Keeping the Flame Alive: The Olympic and Paralympic Legacy, and backed up the "no compromise" approach of UK Sport saying that it had taken Team GB from 36th in the medal table at Atlanta 1996 to third at London 2012 in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, creating a system that was admired around the world.

It added that it had "no plans to review this approach as we have no wish to give other nations a competitive advantage over Team GB."

UK Sport believes British Basketball has not delivered enough success on the international stage ©AFP/Getty Images



Reacting to the Government's comments, Moreland said that he agreed the "no compromise" approach had clearly delivered success at elite level, citing gymnastics and hockey which both had funding reduced due to poor performances, but had regrouped to deliver medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

He insisted, though, completely axing funding to sports such as basketball will continue to see the sport struggle to deliver any sustained success at elite level, highlighting "a gap in the funding system that needs to be filled, so that team and emerging sports can realise their potential."

Moreland added: "I sat in an audience at Loughborough University a few weeks before the London Games.

"[Prime Minister] David Cameron gave an inspirational speech in which he talked about opening people's eyes to the possibility of sport, about getting young people to follow their heroes, about the fact that too many medal winners came from independent schools and about how top sports men and women as role models can inspire change.

"I agree with all of that and it all applies to the team and emerging sports that have currently been cast adrift in the wake of the euphoria which followed London 2012.

"They appeal to a different demographic and the current system gives them no chance to succeed.

"That is the result of the funding gap.

"The cost of finding a solution, if all team and emerging sports were to be supported, is a near two-percent of the more than one billion pounds being invested in sports up to 2017.

"Surely it is possible to find a solution to this funding gap and I know all the sports affected feel the same and would be delighted to engage in dialogue to help find a way forward."

Lord Harris, who was involved in compiling the report, echoed Moreland's sentiments upon hearing the comments from the Government yesterday.

"The Government's response restates the case for a one-size-fits-all approach for all sports, and it is disappointing that they will not be doing more to help developing sports which have less prospect of short term medal success," he said.

Last year Team GB star Luol Deng led a successful campaign to reverse UK Sport's original decision to cut funding to British Basketball ©AFP/Getty Images



British Basketball's battle to secure funding has been a long running saga with the governing body reversing UK Sport's decision to originally axe funding in December 2012.

At that time the decision was influenced by what was seen as disappointing peformances at London 2012 where men's basketball team, headed by the NBA star Luol Deng, finished ninth at London 2012 with the women's team in 11th.

But UK Sport reversed its decision following a high profile campaign led by Deng and a number of Britain's top players while Patrick Baumann, secretary general of world governing body FIBA, also lobbied hard on behalf of British Basketball.

The restoration of funding was predicated in part on both the men's and women's sides qualifying for this year's World Championships, but neither managed to do so.


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