Adam Peaty says “more investment than ever” is required in sport to ensure Britain’s Olympians keep doing the country proud, writes Alex Spink in Tokyo.
Peaty inspired the swimming team to its greatest Olympic medal haul on the day gymnast Max Whitlock and BMX rider Charlotte Worthington took Britain’s golden tally into double figures.
He then sent a direct plea to the authorities, spelling out that such success needs funding if it is to continue to Paris, in 2024, and beyond.
“Sport needs money, everyone knows that,” he said. “If you look since 2000 at where the medals have come from, it’s from the National Lottery and UK Sport.
“There needs to be more investment than ever to secure the next generation, especially in swimming where you’ve got swimming clubs who are having to raffle and fundraise on their own.”
Swimming has been savagely affected by the pandemic with pools and leisure centres across the country closed for months on end or lost altogether.
Yet Peaty and pals have enjoyed unprecedented success - plundering four gold medals, three silvers and a bronze to finish behind only swimming superpowers USA and Australia.
The three-time Olympic champion argues that it is not just about the elite in and that funding swimming’s grass roots is equally vital.
“There’s going to be a lot of clubs closing down,” he warned. "And without the clubs, without the leisure centres, you can’t do this sport.
“This sport is very expensive. I know that when I first started, my mum was looking paycheck to paycheck, how to make it work.
“Should we be doing that for the next generation of potential gold medal winners? Should the government be stepping in, should another body be stepping in to fund that?
“That’s an open question to the people who provide the money.”
Luke Greenbank, with whom Peaty won relay silver yesterday, added: “My old coach said that after the first lockdown my old club, Cockermouth, had to fundraise to open.
“It’s obviously been an extremely difficult time for lots of clubs around the country. For our sport it’s so difficult with leisure centres closing and struggling to be financially viable.
“There are fewer opportunities to get into the sport yet the performances here have showed how strong we are as a team, not just in the pool but out of the pool.
“The team is full of positive role models, it’s great for kids to look up to.
“I really hope that this Olympics has the opposite effect of the pandemic, that it brings new people in and gets them involved in swimming.”
