Can gold medals really inspire lasting change? It’s time we tried to find out | Cath Bishop

Britain’s performance in the Olympics and Paralympics has been transformed, but UK Sport must produce results on its promise of ‘social impact’ from that successSighs of relief accompanied the appointment of Prof Nick Webborn as chair of UK Sport after a lengthy delay and rumours of existential threats from Whitehall’s latest quango bonfire. It is a tricky time to take over as sport hangs in limbo without a strong advocate at the cabinet table as impossible funding and policy decisions are being made.At the same time, attitudes and expectations towards public bodies are changing as social needs and demands change. The need to justify the benefit to society of funding those who are world class at their sport is greater than ever. Arguably, there can be no organisation more suited to taking on difficult questions and reaching new heights than the agency that funds and masterminds Olympic and Paralympic high performance. So what’s top of Webborn’s in-tray? Continue reading...

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