British Swimming has welcomed a Government report designed to get more women involved and enjoying sport but has warned that support needs to be given to allow women’s sports to continue.
The report by the Government’s Women and Sport Advisory Board encourages more women to live active lifestyles through sports. It focuses on research published by Women in Sport which found that 43% of girls think there are not many sporting role models for girls.
British Swimming Chief Executive David Sparkes believes swimming and the aquatic disciplines are ideally placed to continue to offer vital opportunities for women to enjoy sport.
“British Swimming has a strong tradition of equality which has created valuable sporting role models for women such as Rebecca Adlington, Ellie Simmonds, Fran Halsall and Sharron Davies.
“While we welcome the principle of the report we’re disappointed that there is no reference to the demise of important Olympic sports such as women’s water polo and synchronised swimming which has been brought by the funding withdrawal last year by UK Sport.
“We have tried to engage with the Sports Minister, Sport England and the Advisory Board over this funding issue in an effort to continue to provide a future for these sports. We now call on those involved once again to support our efforts to bridge this funding gap and secure these sports for future generations.”