Lottery planner’s joy at Olympics success
National Lottery bosses have said they are “thrilled” after cash from the game helped propel Britain to a glittering performance at the Olympics.
Camelot Group, which holds the licence for the Lottery, passes on cash raised by ticket sales to sport funding groups.
Much of the money which helps to train Britain’s athletes therefore comes from the Lottery, and officials are delighted after the medal haul in Beijing.
The UK Team GB finished fourth in the overall medals table, its best performance in a century.
Quoted by the Daily Telegraph, Dianne Thompson, chief executive of Camelot, said the success and feedback since has been “absolutely wonderful”.
Following a poor showing at the Atlanta Games in 1996, when the UK won only one gold medal, money has been ploughed into Olympic sports.
Millions of pounds of this has come via the Lottery, which will also be the source of billions in funding for the London 2012 games.
Ms Thompson was also quoted by the paper as saying the story of where Camelot’s sporting cash goes has been told for the first time, thanks to the recent success.
More funding is now expected for a wider variety sports after Britain excelled in a small cluster of events including cycling and water-related sports.
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