British athletes have reportedly been left homeless after being left in crippling debt caused by a lack of funding. Stagnating funding from UK Sport has left some 2028 Olympic hopefuls wondering whether they will get the chance to compete in Los Angeles.
It is claimed that some stars are struggling to pay their bills despite representing Team GB on the world stage as recently as this summer. Some have had to ditch their plans to participate in the next Olympics entirely.
The British Elite Athletes Association (BEAA) conducted a survey of 189 individuals who competed in funded Olympic or Paralympic sports this summer. And the results are fairly bleak – with the BEAA urging the government to enable increased athlete grants.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents agreed that they could quit their sport instead of competing in 2028. Others know of some who have been left with crippling debts and even without a home.
One multi-medallist is said to have responded by saying: “I know ex-athlete friends who have gone into debt, lost so much and even a couple who have been homeless.”
Former hockey champion Hollie Pearne-Webb said: “Many athletes are blocked from elite sport because of the personal finance needed to make ends meet.”
Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, UK Sport granted £70million in Athlete Performance Awards to 1,100 athletes. The A+ grant can see an athlete handed up to £28,000, although the top figures have not changed since the 2012 Olympics in London.
A UK Sport spokesperson said: “We understand these financial pressures and are considering this matter ahead of LA 2028.”
Team GB athletes were broadly successful in Paris, winning 14 gold medals, 22 silvers and 29 bronzes. In the Paralympics, British athletes came second in the medal table with a remarkable haul of 49 golds among their 124 medals.
It comes in the week that Sir Chris Hoy announced he has terminal prostate cancer. The cyclist, Britain’s second-most successful Olympic athlete, provided another update for fans on Thursday. “I’m so grateful to everyone for their incredible kindness and support,” he said on Instagram.
“You have heard by now that I’m ready to share that my cancer is stage 4: I will be living with it for the rest of my life. Now it’s not the news anyone imagines hearing, and it obviously came as a huge shock.
“We’ve taken time to process it as a family and I now have a deep resolve to turn this incredibly difficult diagnosis into something more positive that can help not just me, but anyone anywhere living with stage 4.”
