Climbing gets £2.775m funding for programme development for LA 2028 Games

• Monday 16th December 2024

UK Sport confirms £2.775m funding to the BMC for the development of Paraclimbing and Sport Climbing programmes ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Posting the news online the BMC confirmed that in total, £2,275,000 has been allocated for the Sport Climbing and £500,000 for Paraclimbing programmes. Sport Climbing is one of nine Development sports sitting alongside 18 World Class Programme sports. Paraclimbing, which is making its first appearance at the Olympics in LA, is one of five new or returning sports to be funded. A total package of £330m was confirmed across 50 sports, bolstering UK Sport’s mission to create the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments: reaching, inspiring and uniting the nation.

In response to the funding announcement, incoming Head of Performance, Dr. Laura Needham, said: “It’s fantastic news that the BMC will be in receipt of this support to fund our activity for the next four years as we head towards LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“This funding will enable us to put in place plans to support climbers to Olympic and Paralympic success and to pursue excellence on the international stage. The investment we will receive from UK Sport will be geared towards supporting elite British climbers as we seek to continue building on the success of the Paris Games.”

Paul Ratcliffe, Chief Executive Officer at the BMC, also shared his enthusiasm: “We know that the success of the GB Climbing team on an international stage allows the BMC to reach and inspire new audiences and encourage more people to realise the mental and physical benefits of climbing.

“We would like to thank all the National Lottery players and the Government for their support which will enable elite climbers to be the best they can be as they have now given us the opportunity to fulfil our ambitions over the next four years. We would also like to thank UK Sport for their trust, collaboration and investment into the BMC to further develop our programmes.”

This award from UK Sport will commence on the 1 April 2025 and will be phased in over the next four years to help support and prepare British climbers for the best chances of success at the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For more information and comments click here to read the announcement from UK Sport.