The controversial plan was unveiled by the Government last month but UK Sport chair Sue Campbell has warned that the changes are putting at risk the progress Britain has made since a body to manage elite funding was set-up.

Britain has enjoyed unprecedented success since UK Sport was founded by Royal Charter in 1997, improving from 36th in the Olympic medals table at Atlanta in 1996 to fourth at Beijing in 2008, where the team won a record 47 medals, including 19 gold.

But Robertson, in a blog written exclusively for insidethegames, has claimed that UK Sport, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust - who he also wants to incorporate in the new body - has nothing to fear from his proposed changes and that the money saved will allow more funding to be channelled into helping British sport.

He wrote: "It is incumbent on me, as the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, to ensure that as much money as possible reaches the front line - whether it is to athletes preparing for London 2012 or to the sport national governing bodies and community sports organisations trying to increase participation.

"It will produce a more unified and coherent structure and will enable the new organisation to share a number of back office and associated functions.

"It will also end the unfortunate current situation where all three organisations occupy separate, and expensive, Central London offices.

"This [merger] should not be seen as a reflection on the performance of the current organisations.

"UK Sport played a key part in delivering our record medal haul in Beijing and Sport England’s new Whole Sport Strategy, focused on increasing participation through sport national governing bodies, is already yielding promising results.

"The Youth Sport Trust, which has achieved much in recent years, is also vital to the delivery of the new Schools Olympic-style competition - that will drive up the amount of competitive sport played in schools."

Robertson admitted that he understood his proposal was unsettling and that he did not plan to begin introducing it until after London 2012.

He wrote: "This is a genuine opportunity to make the structure of sport more unified, focussed and cost effective.

"Post-2012, I want this country to have the best sports structure anywhere in the world.

"It would be a fantastic legacy from London’s Olympics."

To read the full blog click here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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