BRITISH basketball has had a huge boost ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

The sport was one of the big winners from UK Sport's funding announcement today.

Rather than the feared a cut, GB had their funding increased to £8,751,800 for 2009-13.

The international game, under the guidance of British Performance Basketball, has made tremendous strides in the last two years to meet testing criteria laid down by world governing body FIBA for Britain to play at the Olympics - although neither the men's nor women's teams are guaranteed to qualify.

British Basketball performance director Chris Spice said: “It's fantastic news. We're very pleased with our allocation and we're very much up for the challenge that it brings. I think its recognition of what's being going on to date and we're really excited about going forward now.

Surprised

“I don't know that we were surprised (to avoid a cut). Certainly in the current climate we were expecting anything from a 25 per cent cut to a bit of a rise, but I don't know that we were surprised.

“I think this is recognition of the considerable improvements that have been made and that we can continue to make. The funding recognising some of the real potential for basketball in this country and the real chance that we have to create a legacy by playing in London in 2012.”

UK Sport, which handles the budgets for Olympic and Paralympic sports, allocated the money under a “no compromise” investment strategy, which prioritised the sports most likely to deliver medals.

Commenting on the award Bill McInnes, Chair of British Basketball said: “This represents a great opportunity for Great Britain to establish our teams in the game’s elite.

Strategy

"It also signals to the Home Basketball Associations the commitment by government to growing the game. In response we must get behind British Basketball’s performance strategy ('Game On'), in a way we have never done before."

This season the men’s senior squad - which includes NBA superstar Luol Deng and Manchester Magic product Nick George - qualified for the finals of the European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland in 2009.

Manchester Mystics product Georgia Jones is a lynchpin of the women’s squad, which competes a four-nation play-off to retain their status in Europe’s top division in January.

British Basketball is also developing a partnership with the NBA and FIBA to optimize the opportunity from the 2012 Olympic Games in London.