Counting the ‘capital’ cost of the UK’s elite sport funding focus

Grix, Jonathan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7315-1641, Widdop, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0334-7053 and Brannagan, Paul Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4003-8420 (2024) Counting the ‘capital’ cost of the UK’s elite sport funding focus. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. pp. 1-12. ISSN 1940-6940

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Abstract

This critical commentary seeks to stimulate debate on the paradox at play within the UK’s sport system. This manifests itself in continued elite sport success, on the one hand, and flat-lining and decreasing levels of sport participation and levels of physical activity among the population on the other. There is little doubt that the long-term, consistent funding of elite sport has led to enviable success, especially as measured by coveted (usually summer) Olympic medals. The foundations of this model rest on the notion of a ‘trickle-down’ policy, whereby elite success inspires the grassroots to be active, through spectacular performances and role models. While many commentators have critiqued this assumption, few have linked it with the decline in sport participation and physical activity in the UK. A key argument put forward in this critical commentary is that the belief in a ‘trickle-down’ effect of elite sport and sports mega-events diverts attention away from the task of increasing sport participation and physical activity in society. This is important, as the impact of inactivity on citizens is not just a matter of their health, but it also exacts a price on citizens’ social, human and cultural capitals.