By Tom Degun in Gateshead

September 3 - The British Olympic Association (BOA) will have no role in the new merged body to oversee the organisation of sport in this country the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt claimed today.



Colin Moynihan, the chairman of the BOA, has made no secret of his wish to play a pivotal part in the negotiations over the controversial merger of the UK Sport, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust, telling insidethegames last month that he wanted the BOA to have "a significant part at the top table of British sport".

But Hunt has ruled that out because he claims that it would be against the Olympic Charter, which rules that National Olympic Committees must remain independent from Government interference.

"The BOA can’t have a specific role in it [the new body] because they are an independent body and therefore they are prevented from the Olympic Charter from receiving Government money so they have to remain at arms length," Hunt exclusively told insidethegames here.

But Moynihan, a former Conservative Sports Minister under Margaret Thatcher, and the BOA are still expected to be given a significant role in British sport following London 2012 as they are set to be one of the lead bodies organising the Government's proposed new Olympic and Paralympic-style school sports competition.

Hunt, who was here to attend the Opening Ceremony of the fifth edition of the Sainsbury's UK School Games, admitted that he hopes to work closely with the BOA and Moynihan in putting together the new competition, which will be one of the biggest schools sports competitions in the world and will shape the future of school sport for many years to come.

"I have to say that Colin Moynihan is being extremely supportive of the Olympic-style school sports competition," Hunt told insidethegames.

"I think he has really put his full weight behind it and I think what we need is a partnership with the BOA because they can really help us make this into a huge success and give it the Olympic stardust that will capture everyone’s imagination."

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