New plans to combat cuts in sports funding may lead to benefits north of the Border

it spends annually is funnelled outside England, any realignment could end what – bar curling – is an Anglocentric monopoly on the UK’S myriad high-performance programmes.

A small victory, of sorts, was won when British Judo backed down on its demands that a high-calibre cluster of fighters based in Edinburgh – including Rio 2016 bronze medallist Sally Conway – relocate south or lose their Lottery grants.

Why, on results alone, would UK Sport and British Judo not recognise Ratho as a satellite performance centre, Whittingham argues. “If we strive to have more than just the British Curling programme in Scotland, then we think the changing landscape would allow us all to be part of a system.

“Plus, we want to hire and retain some of the best people within that. Dr Niall Elliott, for example, was the BOA’S head of sports medicine at the last two Olympics in Sochi and Rio. He’s come through the Scottish system and we have others of that level. But we can’t be complacent. And the way to retain them is not just about remuneration but ensuring they link up with British programmes and world-class athletes. If we don’t have those UK programmes here, they could be tempted south, or into football or rugby.”

Money, he knows, will influence any revisions. While Sportscotland was surprisingly given a modest increase in its funding in last month’s Scottish budget, and the Treasury is guaranteeing UK Sport’s pot for at least two more years, long-term uncertainty still reigns.

With calls for any wealth to be more broadly shared in tandem with greater priority shown towards duty of care, 2018 will inevitably see the volume raised in the discussion over where the cash is spent.