Sparc chief executive Peter Miskimmin in Dunedin yesterday.
Photo by Linda Robertson.
SPARC has set high targets for New Zealand elite sport
over the next four years - 10 medals at the London Olympics in
2012 and wins in the rugby, netball and cricket World Cups.
The chief executive of the national sports funding agency,
Peter Miskimmin, made this public to representatives of the
Otago and Southland sports industry in a talk at the Otago
Museum yesterday.
He said performances at the Beijing Olympics came close to
the expectations Sparc had before the Olympics Games.
New Zealand athletes won nine medals in Beijing and they came
in five of the six targeted Olympic sports - athletics,
cycling, rowing, sailing and triathlon.
The only exception was swimming. There were also 27
competitors from 10 sports who finished in the top eight in
the world.
At the Paralympics, Sparc targeted 13 medals and the athletes
came back with 12.
"These results were in line with Sparc's expectations,"
Miskimmin said.
Sparc intends to give backing to all New Zealanders who reach
the top eight in Olympic sports.
"We are now tracking those in the top 16, top eight and top
three in the world in their sports," Miskimmin said.
"If the Olympics were held tomorrow we could predict
accurately those that would finish in the top three and top
eight."
Sparc invested $22.5 million into the athletes who competed
at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and they won five medals -
three gold and two silver.
For Beijing, $34.5 million was invested and this resulted in
nine medals - three gold, one silver and five bronze.
"It demonstrates that money wins medals at the Olympics,"
Miskimmin said.
"China and Great Britain proved this."
New Zealand made a big percentage improvement in its medal
count in Beijing compared to the Athens Olympics.
This put it third on the improvement list behind Kenya and
Jamaica. Big improvements were also made by China and Great
Britain.
The biggest decline in the medal count came from Japan and
Russia.
Sparc supports its elite athletes with performance
enhancement grants and gave $40,000 to rower Mahe Drysdale in
his lead-up to Beijing.
It also paid for his equipment, international travel and his
sports science, sports medicine and other expenses.
It would have amounted to $120,000 all up.
Miskimmin said Sparc is investigating setting up a base in
Europe for New Zealand athletes as they prepare for London.
But he admitted Sparc had no money available for the younger
group of athletes who become recognised through talent
identification.
Sparc has an annual budget of $100 million for all its
activities.
"It is the same amount as we got over the last two years and
in the current global economic crisis is not expected to rise
next year," Miskimmin said.
This year sport and recreation also received $150 millions
from gaming funds, but this is expected to be reduced by 15%
next year.
Funding from community trusts is also expected to be down.
The other significant funder of sport and recreation in New
Zealand are city councils, which contribute $700 million
annually for grounds, walking tracks and other activities.
"As economic times get tough and discretionary spending is
reduced it is expected to have an influence on the sport and
recreation sector," Miskimmin said.
"It will be a challenge, but it is not all gloom and doom
because sport has an important role in lifting public morale
when times are tough."
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