LONDON -- British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman Sir Hugh Robertson has dismissed the idea that winter sports are competing against their summer Olympic counterparts for funding.
Much has been made of the fact that UK Sport, which largely funds Team GB alongside commercial sponsors, gives no funding to basketball, one of the world's most played sports. On the other hand winter sports, such as skeleton and bobsleigh, receive millions of pounds despite them not being as accessible to the general British public.
However, Robertson believes that claims that basketball should be funded ahead of winter sports as a "false comparison".
"In a previous life, I used to have to deal with this [the allocation of UK Sport funding] and it really annoys me because this is a false comparison," Robertson said.
"There is a really good argument about basketball and its effect on participation among lower income groups, but that argument should be had in the context of the amount that we spend on participation, not in the context of the amount of money that we devote to winter sports that is there as a package that we devote to winning medals."
Funding for winter sports is under the spotlight after UK Sport more than doubled their funding for the games from £13.4m for the 2014 games to £28.4m this time around. And while Team GB brought home a record haul of five medals, sports that received huge funding -- including likes of bobsleigh [£5m] and speed skating [£4.8m] -- failed to deliver medals.
BOA CEO Bill Sweeney, however, believes that Britain are capable of becoming a top 15 winter nation with the right funding.
"Where we are now in winter sports is where we were with summer sports in the year 2000," said Sweeney.
"If you want to be a top 15 nation, and there is no reason why we shouldn't be, you have to invest."