‘Changing ‘Anglocentric’ bias of UK sport isn’t just about location’
The allegedly Anglocentric system of funding high-performance sport in the UK has long been a bugbear for Scottish sport administrators.
New UK Sport chair Katherine Grainger insists, though, that it is up to those in Scotland to make a persuasive case for change.
On a three-day
“listening” tour to her native Scotland, Olympic rowing legend Grainger visited curling’s high performance centre in Stirling. Curling, however, is the only sport whose main hub is located outside England
British Judo closed its hub near Edinburgh last year to centralise its resources in Walsall and British Swimming previously downgraded its offshoot in Stirling.
However Grainger, who herself took the road south to London to join British Rowing’s elite programme, does not favour interventionism as the way to increase investment outside England.
She said: “There is a reason why sports gather where they are gathered. What we want is every sport to flourish wherever it is.
“I was in Stirling, where the amazing curling set-up is. It is doing brilliantly and will continue to do so, hopefully. But there’s a very obvious reason why you would gather the curlers there. It is what is practical. But you want to go to the sports and ask: ‘Where is best for your sport to be?’ rather than looking at a map and having something everywhere.”
Grainger, however, did say she would bring her influence to bear wherever she could. It is understood that a number of Scottish governing bodies will bend Grainger’s ear over their Uk-wide counterparts retaining the bulk of funding and commercial income.
Grainger added: “The last thing you want is for anyone to feel marginalised whether it is in Scotland or anywhere outside the London area.
“You want them to feel they have a say in what you do. It goes back to the culture thing – if people don’t feel valued in their role, there will be issues.” Ken Doherty had to come through a deciding frame against John Astley to win 4-3 and book his place in the last 32 of the Indian Open in Vishakhapatnam.
There was never more than a frame between the Irishman and his English opponent, who made a 64 break to force the decider, in which Doherty made a fine break of 62 to progress.
Doherty said: “I want to win a tournament. I look at other players who have done tremendously well like Mark King and Anthony Hamilton. They can be an inspiration. If they can win a tournament that gives hope to guys in their 40s. Anything is possible, but you have to believe.” Scotland’s Alan Mcmanus had a 4-0 whitewash over local wild card Malkeet Singh, while Chinese teenager Xu Si beat Finland’s Robin Hull 4-0.