24 Feb 2009

Ten medals expected return from SPARC funding announcement

6:04 am on 24 February 2009

At least ten medals from the London Olympics is the expected return from a $35 million four year funding announcement by Sport and Recreation New Zealand.

Rowing and cycling are the major winners from what are SPARC's top six targeted sports.

Bike New Zealand and Rowing New Zealand see their funding increase from around $8million each over the four year Olympic cycle to $12 million leading into London and accounts for two thirds of the total funding available.

Athletics is boosted from three and a half million dollars to just over five, while yachting climbls from just over six and a half million to just over eight and a half.

The ten medal target is one more than what was achieved in Beijing but SPARC's high performance manager Martin Toomey says the same funding approach was used in the lead up to Beijing and believes it paid off.