ATHLETICS, the blue riband event of the Olympic Games, has been handed a cut in its cash allocation to prepare for London 2012 while eight other sports face an uncertain future, it was revealed last night.

UK Sport announced the detailed funding for the next four years and 17 Olympic sports including cycling, sailing, swimming and rowing - all successful in Beijing - have been given increases.

Public interest in the 2012 Games will focus most intently on the track and field events, but athletics' budget will drop from £26.5m in the run-up to Beijing to £25.1m over the next four years.

The sport failed to meet its target of five medals in Beijing, and medal prospects for London are similarly limited.

By contrast, the biggest investment in any single sport will be in rowing - £27.4m, a 5.5 per cent increase. Cycling, the most successful sport in Beijing with 14 medals, receives £26.9m, a 21.5 per cent increase.

UK Sport's head of performance, Peter Keen, said athletics would now concentrate on a fewer number of athletes - 30 rather than 40 - in the expectation of achieving six medals in London compared to four in Beijing.

Keen said: "They are looking to allocate around 30 full packages to their leading athletes who are in with a medal shot. It is a more focused approach."

Keen also admitted that the investment in athletics is more likely to pay off in 2016 than in London.

UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos said the restructuring of the sport had ensured the cuts were not even worse.

He said: "Had we not made the changes it could have been more severe."

Badminton also has a slight cut in its spending while eight Olympic sports also face cuts but have yet to receive a confirmed figure.

They are: fencing, handball, shooting, table tennis, volleyball/beach volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.

UK Sport confirmed that hockey, basketball, synchronised swimming and wheelchair rugby only received funding at the last minute.

Tweet