LA 2028: Hundreds of British Olympians could withdraw before next Games unless funding increases

Meanwhile, a group of British athletes has called on the government to find an urgent increase in funding to avert a “pending crisis”.

Athletes are funded through grants, called Athlete Performance Awards (APAs), which aim to allow them to focus on their sport.

Funding levels for the cycle to Los Angeles are expected to be confirmed by the government after the autumn budget. It invested £385 million of public money – Treasury and Lottery funding – into the Paris Olympic and Paralympic cycle.

Great Britain hockey captain and 2016 Olympic champion Hollie Pearne-Webb said: “Across sport, I have seen athletes becoming increasingly dependent on their families to support their careers, or giving up completely because they have no conditions to continue.

“A lot has lasted until Paris, but many will not be able to sustain themselves for another four years without greater subsidies, especially low-income athletes. In recent years, many have been prevented from participating in elite sport due to the personal financial needs necessary to survive now. .

“Without urgently addressing athlete funding, we will force out the next generation of British Olympic and Paralympic athletes, or restrict this honor to only the most privileged.”

Pearne-Webb, who chairs an athletes’ forum that contributes to sports policy, co-signed a letter with nine other elite athletes that was sent this week to culture secretary Lisa Nandy.

The forum, which includes Olympians such as Asha Philip, Grace Reid and Brad Hall, and seven-time Paralympian Dan Greaves, called on the government to find an urgent funding boost.

“Athletes and their families have shouldered the burden of static subsidies during the cost of living crisis,” the letter states.

“We are now concerned that, with the sporting system under immense financial pressure, they will be asked to do so until at least 2028. Such a demand will have devastating consequences.”