Tories pledge extra £58m a year to sport funding

Britain's potential Olympians could benefit from more than £58m in extra funding each year under a Tory overhaul of the National Lottery.

The proposals would see a ban on funds being used for health and education projects, which the party insists should be paid for by the Treasury.

The loophole has resulted in some £4bn being diverted from good causes over the past decade, according to the shadow Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. He said a Conservative government would focus the Lottery money back on to its original four pillars of sport, the arts, heritage and charities.

The changes would boost sport funding by nearly £47m from the current level of £205m, he said. A new tax regime for Camelot, the Lottery operator, would free up a further £45.4m a year – with £11.3m of that earmarked for sport.

Mr Hunt said: "The results in Beijing have lifted the curse of dashed expectations that so often hangs over British sport. Now we need to build on this by getting more young people involved in sport."