UK Anti-Doping to get 7% increase in funding, despite fears of cuts

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is line line for an increase in funding of £400,000, which equates to approximately 7% of its current budget.

The British organisation had been warned that it could be in line for cuts following the Autumn Statement. These potential reductions in funding were reported to be in the region of 25%.

UKAD's remit covers 40 sports in the United Kingdom, and it has a £7 million budget at its disposal.

Amateur sport has seen an increase in doping concerns, and the UKAD list of banned professionals - across a wide range of sports - is ever-growing.

UKAD chairman David Kenworthy said earlier this year that any cut in funding could have damaged the agency's ability to properly police sport in Britain in an age when doping is still a problem.

“We’ve been told to expect cuts of up to 25%,” Kenworthy said. “UKAD would be in jeopardy if we had large cuts like that because the purpose for which we’re here, I’m not sure we could fulfil it properly.”

A number of national anti-doping agencies have been found to be non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), plus six others who have been placed on a watchlist for other issues.

Chief among these is Russia, who have been in the headlines because of the key recommendations of an Independent Commission into the widespread doping in Russian athletics.

Elite sport in the UK was a big winner in the Chancellor's Spending Review, as the Government pledged to uphold support for elite events to visit the UK.

“The government is increasing its funding for elite sport to build on the success of Olympic and Paralympic games at London 2012 and support Team GB’s ambition for success in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020,” the statement says.

Away from elite sport, the Government has pledged just £300 million for cycling outside of London against £15 billion being spent on roads throughout the country.