UK Athletics given Diamond League lottery cash injection

handed £150,000 of lottery money to help stage next month’s London Diamond League meeting in a major boost for the governing body.

At one stage, UKA feared it could lose about £500,000 from the meeting at the London Stadium but insiders have told the Guardian the injection of the money from UK Sport’s major event fund – along with the sale of 39,000 tickets so far – will help it break even.

That will come as welcome news for UKA, which lost £1.8m last year and has seen its remaining reserves of £400,000 plunge further in 2023. Recently it was forced to make 10 staff redundant and to cut costs in other areas.

UK Sport’s chief executive, Sally Munday, explained that the “exceptional” award – which was half what UKA had asked for – would help cover a proportion of the projected deficit and preserve the long-term viability of hosting the event in London.

“We want the UK to remain on the Diamond League calendar and for the event to become financially sustainable as quickly as possible,” she said.

There have been fears UKA is facing bankruptcy but speaking recently, its chief executive, Jack Buckner, insisted the organisation would survive. “It’s hard yards and it’s not pretty but we’ve got a good plan,” he said. “It’s a bit like a hard season, you’ve got to work your way through it. We’re going to be OK. I’m optimistic.”

Buckner, who told the Guardian he was pleased with the UK Sport award, also insisted that the funding for Britain’s top athletes in the run-up to next year’s Paris Olympics would be ringfenced. However, he admitted the last few months had been “hard graft”.

“I’ve had to make some tough calls, let staff go,” he added. “I’m feeling I’m getting there. But I wouldn’t say I’ve got a magic bullet.”