Rio 2016: Weightlifting only winner in UK Sport funding appeals

Weightlifting has had its UK Sport funding restored after a successful appeal, but the withdrawal of funding for six other sports remains in place.

Basketball, synchronised swimming, water polo and Paralympic sports wheelchair fencing, goalball and five-a-side football continue to lose out.

All of the sports facing funding cuts are considering an appeal against the decision.

Weighlifting's reinstated funding is £894,000, taking the total to £1.8m.

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“"This is a very dark and sad day for British sport - especially for women's sport”

David Sparkes British Swimming chief executive

Badminton has had £250,000 reinstated, taking its total funding to £5.9m.

Rod Carr, chair of UK Sport, said: "The starting point for UK Sport and the board is that we want to be able to invest in as many Olympic and Paralympic sports as possible but they must be able to credibly demonstrate medal-winning potential within eight years.

"Weightlifting came back to us with a compelling new strategy focussed on developing their most talented female athletes with a view to challenging for medals by Tokyo 2020."

Around £350m is to be spent preparing Britain's best medal chances at both the Olympics and Paralympics.

After UK Sport announced its funding in February, chief executive Liz Nicholl said that it would be "high risk" to continue funding sports with little chance of winning a medal by 2020.

"If the nation values sporting success, we can deliver it but only if we remain focussed as the Olympic and Paralympic environment is becoming increasingly competitive," Nicholls said after Wednesday's decision.

"These are tough calls to make and we know that it is even tougher for the sports and athletes directly affected by funding withdrawal."

British swimming chief executive David Sparkes said the decision not to reinstate synchronised swimming's funding marked a "very dark and sad day for British sport".

He added: "How can an elite programme such as synchro, which has long been held by UK Sport as a model of world-class athlete development and leadership, that has achieved all of its performance indicators since it first received funding, have its funding removed just 12 months after it was enhanced?

"It is a sport that has never failed to deliver on its performance promises and this decision beggars belief - it clearly highlights a fundamental flaw in the UK Sport funding system."

Roger Moreland, performance chairman for British Basketball, is still hopeful of gaining some funding.

He said: "If there is the political will and the leadership, a solution can be found. Other countries have done so."

British Disabled Fencing Association (BDFA) released a statement that read: "For a sport that offers 14 gold medals at a Paralympics, the decision is tough.

"It will be extremely difficult to continue to progress the talented athletes and further develop the performance programme without any other sources of funding."

Goalball UK CEO, Mike Reilly said: "The UK Sport decision will have a profound and long term detrimental impact on Goalball in the UK."

Badminton, however, welcomed UK Sport's decision to reinstate their funding.

GB chairman Simon Clegg: "It recognises the excellent progress made in recent months by the whole squad.

"We can now fully focus on the challenge to hand, this year's World Championships, qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and delivering the targeted results."