Rowing and cycling big winners in latest Sparc funding

Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan celebrate winning gold in the Men's Double Sculls Final at the World Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro. Photo / Getty Images

Rowing, cycling, equestrian and paralympics sports are the biggest improvers in the latest round of annual sports funding allocation announced by Sport and Recration New Zealand (Sparc) while question marks hang over swimming and canoeing.

Overall, sporting bodies receive significant increases in high performance investment for 2011, helped by the government's significant boost to funding.

With a goal to athletes on the podium at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, total investment in sport next year will be $27.4 million, with an increase of $3.8 million on 2010 high performance funding.

SPARC General Manager High Performance Martin Toomey said the allocations recognise sports which have performed well and are on track to meet their next performance goals, as well as those which have medal potential athletes in their high performance programmes.

"Our cyclists and rowers are two of New Zealand sport's big success stories and we're delighted to be able to announce significant increases next year and in 2012 to their high performance programmes as their athletes focus on achieving results at the London Olympics," Toomey said in a statement.

Sparc has made its investment in troubled sports swimming and canoeing subject to conditions while "issues" are resolved.

It will invest just $825,000 in swimming for the first six months of next year, with funding beyond that contingent on recommendations of an independent review. The review, to be completed by May, will cover coaching, leadership and the focus of Swimming New Zealand's (SNZ) high performance programme.

Toomey said the initial funding means swimmers can keep training and competing while issues within the sport are addressed. A maximum total of $1.625 million has been earmarked for the sport - the same as it received this year.

Leading swimmer Moss Burmester delivered the sport a spray when he retired last month, critising a change in the coaching hierarchy at SNZ, which had created an oppressive environment.

Sparc's $900,000 investment in Canoe Racing NZ next year is subject to confirmation of its coaching structure "and ensuring the right environment is created for all of the athletes within the national training squad," Toomey said.

The sport was awarded $937,500, but had a poor year in terms of performance and was subject to a public split at the top level involving leading paddler Ben Fouhy and coaches Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald.

Another to suffer a drop in funding is Bowls, whose allocation of $250,000 will be $100,000

In better news, the biggest increase of $800,000 goes to Rowing NZ, which will have funds of $4.42 million to distribute in 2011.

"Rowing has had a successful year on the water with seven medals at the world rowing championships, it intends to send New Zealand crews to compete in 12 out of 14 disciplines at London, and its costs have increased because it has more athletes in the programme," Toomey said.

BikeNZ's funding will be $4.085 million, boosted by an extra $500,000.

"Bike has talented cyclists in its programme covering all disciplines of road, track, BMX and mountainbike, and is on track to meet its medal targets even with the change in Olympic events," Toomey said

Winter sport's funding will rise to $1.3m and then to $1.5m in 2012 if the disciplines of freeski halfpipe, snowboard slopestyle and freeski slopestyle are added to the programme for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Equestrian will receive increased investment for its eventing programme, from $525,000 in 2010 to $900,000 in 2011 and $1m in 2012, on the back of results at this year's World Equestrian Games. Showjumping will get $50,000 next year, towards Olympic qualification.

Sparc's high performance programme investment in Paralympics NZ will be $1.4m in 2011 and $1.5m in 2012, up from $650,000 in 2010, on the back of strong performances and the tracking of its medal potential athletes aiming for the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Targeted high performance core sport investment for 2011 (increase from 2010 in brackets):

Rowing $4.32 million ($800,000)
Cycling $4.085 million ($500,000)
Yachting $2.5 million ($0)
Athletics $1.8 million ($250,000)
Swimming $1.65 million (0$)
Triathlon $1.585 million ($50,000)
Netball $1.2 million ($200,000)

- NZPA