A new survey has indicated that hundreds of Olympic and Paralympic athletes cannot afford to keep competing through to the Los Angeles Games in 2028 unless funding increases.
Sixty-four per cent of 189 athletes surveyed by the British Elite Athlete Association (BEAA) said they would end their careers if their funding did not change for the next cycle, with a further 21 per cent saying they would be unsure about continuing if it stayed the same.
The survey sample reflects roughly one in six funded athletes and if it were scaled up to cover them all, the BEAA says 750 athletes would feel unable to represent their country in the USA in 2028.
Funding levels for the cycle through to Los Angeles are set to be confirmed by the Government after the Autumn Budget.
“Across sport I’ve seen athletes becoming increasingly reliant on their families to sustain their careers, or quit altogether because they can’t afford to continue,” said Olympic hockey champion Hollie Pearne-Webb.
“A lot held on until Paris, but many won’t be able to sustain themselves for another four years without higher grants, especially athletes from lower-income backgrounds.
“Over recent years many have become blocked from elite sport because of the personal finance needed to make ends meet now.
“It was the Sydney 2000 Olympics that inspired me into sport. Without urgently addressing athlete funding we’ll force out the next generation of British Olympians and Paralympians, or restrict that honour to only the most privileged.”
Pearne-Webb has co-signed a letter with nine other elite athletes sent this week to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, which states: “Athletes and their families have shouldered the burden of static grants throughout the cost-of-living crisis.
“Now we are 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.”
The BEAA estimates the average athlete earns less than £22,500 annually, with some awarded the same in 2024 as in 2012.
During that period, inflation has run at close to 40 per cent, putting even the best-funded athletes more than £11,000 worse off each year.
One respondent to the BEAA survey, who wished to remain anonymous, said the grants athletes receive “are not enough to live on” especially when they have family members to support.
“I am considering retirement from sport for this reason. Many athletes, including me, are struggling. I cannot count the amount of ex-athlete friends who have gone into debt, lost so much and even a couple who have been homeless.”
A disabled athlete also spoke of feeling “guilty” that they still relied on their family for financial support.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to multi-year funding for our elite sport system and enabling our athletes to excel on the world stage.
“This means supporting them financially to match and build on their success in Paris, helping them to deliver at LA 2028. We will set out further details at the Spending Review.”
The Government invested £385m of Exchequer and Lottery money for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic cycle.