Paris 2024 Olympics – Rugby Sevens – Men’s Placing 5-8 – New Zealand vs Argentina – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – July 27, 2024. General view of the Olympic Rings logo on the advertising board as a fly is seen during the match. REUTERS
Dec 18 (Reuters) – High-Performance Sport New Zealand on Wednesday announced NZ$162.8 million ($93.69 million) in government funding for Olympic and Paralympic sports in the run-up to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
New Zealand enjoyed its best-ever Olympics in Paris earlier this year and most sports that helped towards its tally of 10 golds, seven silver, and three bronze medals have been rewarded with consistent or extra funding.
Some sports, such as diving, surfing, golf and badminton, will get no funding, while others, such as swimming and hockey, will receive reduced investments.
Among those receiving lower funding is the men’s All Blacks Rugby Sevens team, which lost to South Africa in the quarter-finals in Paris and finished fifth.
“We understand that some sports will be disappointed with these decisions,” said HPSNZ’s director of high performance Steve Tew, a former chief executive of New Zealand Rugby.
“This was a robust process with a focus on winning medals at the LA 2028 Olympics and Paralympics and other pinnacle events during the cycle.”
Although the funding models are not identical, Britain this week announced an investment of 330 million pounds ($419.43 million) in Olympic and Paralympic sports over the same period.
Australia in November said A$385 million ($243.90 million)would be granted to Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports over the next 18 months.
Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford
