Fencing chief Watts looks on the bright side

PERFORMANCE director Graham Watts insists it's business as usual for British Fencing despite a 59 per cent cut in UK Sport funding.

KRUISE CONTROL: Performance director Graham Watts insists Kruse (above) can continue to succeed despite funding cuts (Getty Images)

Fencing, along with seven other Olympic sports, had their fate sealed yesterday when UK Sport announced the allocation of the final £11.2 million of 2012 funding.

In the four-year Olympiad prior to Beijing, British Fencing was handed £3.07m but that has been slashed to £1.26m for a home Olympics in London.

But while severe funding cuts may spell the end for some sports' hopes of a London 2012 appearance, Watts believes the announcement is merely a minor setback that could help streamline operations.

 

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"I think our attitude is a bit more relaxed than other sports," he said.

"There will be reviews, I think, on a quarterly basis and a major one in 2010. We've had talks with UK Sport and I believe we will have enough to support fencers with a genuine medal chance.

"We were funding about 36 athletes and our plan is to gradually reduce that to 16.

"We won't have more than 12 competing at London 2012 - that's pretty much the maximum for us - and we're very confident of getting them there."

GB's three fencers Richard Kruse, Alex O'Connell and Martina Emanuel disappointed at the Beijing Olympics with all three failing to progress beyond the last 16.

But with Kruse adding silver in Paris last weekend to a World Cup win in Copenhagen the week before, and GB hopefuls claiming eight medals at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival earlier this month, Watts is convinced the funding will soon return.

"We've had brilliant results lately and if we sustain that level it will in due course bring in more money," he added.

"The decisions that UK Sport are taking are not set in tablets of stone and the best way for us to react is to continue to succeed and to prove we are capable of winning Olympic medals."