British Mountaineering Council to receive Olympic and Paralympic Investment from UK Sport for LA 2028 Cycle
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has been awarded £2.775 million by UK Sport to invest in the development of a new Paraclimbing programme and to further enhance the Sport Climbing programme ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
£2,275,000 is allocated for Sport Climbing and £500,000 for Paraclimbing, which will make its debut in LA. The funding was announced alongside a total package of £330m across 50 sports, bolstering UK Sport’s mission to create the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments: reaching, inspiring and uniting the nation.
In response to the funding announcement, incoming Head of Performance, Dr. Laura Needham, said: “It’s fantastic news that the BMC will be in receipt of this support to fund our activity for the next four years as we head towards LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“This funding will enable us to put in place plans to support climbers to Olympic and Paralympic success and to pursue excellence on the international stage. The investment we will receive from UK Sport will be geared towards supporting elite British climbers as we seek to continue building on the success of the Paris Games.”
Paul Ratcliffe, Chief Executive Officer at the BMC, also shared his enthusiasm: “We know that the success of the GB Climbing team on an international stage allows the BMC to reach and inspire new audiences and encourage more people to realise the mental and physical benefits of climbing.
“We would like to thank all the National Lottery players and the Government for their support which will enable elite climbers to be the best they can be as they have now given us the opportunity to fulfil our ambitions over the next four years. We would also like to thank UK Sport for their trust, collaboration and investment into the BMC to further develop our programmes.”
This award from UK Sport will commence on the 1 April 2025 and will be phased in over the next four years to help support and prepare British climbers for the best chances of success at the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.