Cash-strapped UK Athletics has been handed £150,000 of lottery money to help stage next month’s London Diamond League meeting in a major boost for the struggling governing body.
At one stage, UKA feared it could lose about £500,000 from the meeting at the London Stadium but insiders have told the Guardian the injection of the money from UK Sport’s major event fund – along with the sale of 39,000 tickets so far – will help it break even.
That will come as welcome news for UKA, which lost £1.8m last year and has seen its remaining reserves of £400,000 plunge further in 2023. Recently it was forced to make 10 staff redundant and to cut costs in other areas.
UK Sport’s chief executive, Sally Munday, explained that the “exceptional” award – which was half what UKA had asked for – would help cover a proportion of the projected deficit and preserve the long-term viability of hosting the event in London.
“We have a talented group of British athletes who we are looking forward to seeing competing on the Diamond League stage in London in just a few weeks’ time,” she added. “We want the UK to remain on the Diamond League calendar and for the event to become financially sustainable as quickly as possible.”
There have been fears UKA is facing bankruptcy but speaking recently, its chief executive, Jack Buckner, insisted that the organisation would survive. “It’s hard yards and it’s not pretty but we’ve got a good plan,” he said. “It’s a bit like a hard season, you’ve got to work your way through it. We’re going to be OK. I’m optimistic.”
Buckner, who told the Guardian he was pleased with the UK Sport award, also insisted that the funding for Britain’s top athletes in the run-up to next year’s Paris Olympics would be ring-fenced. However, he had admitted the last few months had been “hard graft”.
“I’ve had to make some tough calls, let staff go,” he added. “I’m feeling I’m getting there. But I wouldn’t say I’ve got a magic bullet.”
Meanwhile many of Britain’s top track and field stars will be starring in the Paris Diamond League meeting on Friday night, including the Olympic and world silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson, who begins her outdoor season over 800m.
The 21-year-old faces the world indoor champion, Ajee Wilson, along with 2019 world champion, Halimah Nakaayi, and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, Raevyn Rogers. But Hodgkinson sounded confident, saying: “I’m feeling good, training has been good, so I am ready to start the season with a bang.”
Dina Asher-Smith, who won bronze at last year’s world championships, will also be in action over 200m. Laura Muir, the Olympic 1500m silver medallist in Tokyo, moves up to 5,000m for the first time in six years to take on a stellar field that includes the recent 1500m world record holder, Faith Kipyegon, and three other world record-holders: Letesenbet Gidey, Beatrice Chepkoech and Ejgayehu Taye.
It promises to be a memorable race, but there is plenty more in Paris to intrigue – including the sight of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world and Olympic 400m hurdles champion, running a flat 400m.
Many have speculated that McLaughlin-Levrone could one day get close to the 38-year-old world record of 47.60sec set by the East German Marita Koch, and she will need to be near her best to beat the Olympic 400m silver medallist, Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic, and the 2019 world champion, Salwa Eid Naser, who is back after serving a doping ban.
