UK Athletics has been hit by a shock cut in Olympic funding that leaves it behind cycling, swimming, rowing and sailing on the eve of Keely Hodgkinson’s expected coronation as Sports Personality of the Year.

UK Sport, the funding body that decides the allocation of public funding for Olympic and Paralympic sport, has announced a record overall budget for the cycle to Los Angeles 2028 but denied placing athletics “on the naughty step” after reducing its funding by £1.75 million despite Hodgkinson spearheading the sport’s best Olympic medal haul since 1984.

That compared to rises for almost every other Olympic sport, including equestrian whose build-up to the Paris Games was so overshadowed by the Charlotte Dujardin scandal, as well as sports like boxing and sailing, which delivered disappointing medal returns in Paris.

UK Sport chief Sally Munday stressed that funding was not a reward for past performances but an assessment of future needs and is adamant that the blue-riband Olympic sport of athletics is being backed.

She said that UKA had money left over from the Paris cycle, would still receive almost 10 per cent of the total £330 million budget, and was in line for additional support to stage major events like the 2029 World Championships.

UKA was the subject of an UK Sport-commissioned investigation that published a damning set of findings in 2020 and has since faced considerable upheaval among its senior personnel, as well as fierce criticism from athletes over its selection policies.

Paula Dunn successfully led the off-field team in Paris as ‘interim head coach’ and it was suggested to Munday that there had been concerns over the leadership structure and the current absence of a UKA performance director. Asked if athletics was “on the naughty step”, Munday said: “If they were on the naughty step, we wouldn’t be giving them £30 million. We wouldn’t be investing in the events. I’m responsible for public money. We’re in conversation with all of the sports about what their leadership structure will look like for the LA cycle.

“We are well aware that UK Athletics have had some challenging times. Jack and the team are doing everything that they can to get this sport back on the right footing for the future.”

UKA announced a loss of £1.2 million for the accounting year ending March 2024, down from £3.7 million the previous year following restructuring that has led to some off-track international teams having to self-fund. Funding for elite coaches like Trevor Painter, who guided British athletes to three Olympic medals in Paris, including Hodgkinson’s 800m gold, has also been limited to £15,000 a year. That figure was once around £60,000.

While acknowledging UKA’s gratitude for the “transformational” impact of public funding via the National Lottery and the Government, chief executive Jack Buckner said: “We are disappointed we did not receive the settlement we were hoping for. Unfortunately, UK Sport could not be convinced of the merits of our case at this time. Whilst our budgets will be tighter for the next four years, we shall keep building momentum and finding ways to support athletes to realise their potential at major championships.”

UK Sport also stressed that Dujardin could not receive Olympic funding while she serves a one-year ban for the horse-whipping incident that was revealed on the eve of the Paris Games. UK Sport will also provide funding for new Olympic sports including softball, flag football, lacrosse and para-climbing although not cricket due to its independent commercial strength.

One of the biggest winners is basketball, which has more than doubled its funding to almost £3 million, as well as climbing and skateboarding, and this reflects a desire to not only base decisions on medals but on delivering wider value and what UK Sport calls “winning well”.

The biggest Olympic funding budget has gone to cycling with more £30 million followed by swimming, rowing, sailing and then athletics. Para-athletics, however, has fared rather better and will see its budget increase by more than £700,000 over the next cycle. After falling down the Olympic medal table in Paris, UK Sport has also set the target of returning to the top five in both LA and then Brisbane in 2032.