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Tanni hails the ‘game changing’ effect of the National Lottery

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As the National Lottery approaches its 30th birthday, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has paid tribute to the ‘game changing’ effect it has had on Welsh sport at all levels.

Tanni, one of Britain's greatest Paralympic athletes, was already a household name and at the peak of her career when lottery funding was introduced into elite sport in 1997.

By then, she had competed at three Paralympic Games, winning 10 medals – five of which were Golds. 

But she saw first-hand how the sudden flow of lottery funding helped to take British performances to new heights. Thanks to players of the National Lottery, athletes across the country were benefiting from world-class coaching, comprehensive medical support and cutting-edge facilities. The days of training in a car park in Bridgend were over!!

Tanni, who is the Chair of Sport Wales, said: “Earlier in my career, you were limited where you could train, so in the winter we would often use a multi-storey car park, going up and down the ramps!

“But thanks to the National Lottery, we suddenly had fantastic facilities being built in Wales, such as the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff and the Wales National Pool in Swansea.

“It was also noticeable how the lottery-funded facilities helped to drive up the standards elsewhere. For example, I used to train a lot at Loughborough, which already had excellent facilities, but they made several further improvements in order to keep up.”

Tanni continued: “The financial impact of lottery funding was huge for athletes in the late 90s. The vast majority of us had jobs. For me personally, it meant that I was able to move to a part-time job. 

“The lottery funding gave me more time to do what I needed to do each day. Crucially, it gave me headspace which was really important to me. Juggling a full-time job with the demands of training had been very tiring – finally I was able to rest, prepare meals and recover properly.

“In sport now, we focus a lot on creating the best possible environments for our athletes so that they can develop not just as performers but as well-rounded people. We’ve learned a lot from previous eras, and we wouldn’t be where we are now without National Lottery funding making that possible.

“For the younger athletes who were just starting their careers in the late 90s, you could clearly see the difference it was making to them in terms of the number of competitions that they and their coaches could now attend. Because of this, athletes were able to progress and improve much quicker than they would have done without lottery money.”

Tanni-Grey Thompson and athletes
Tanni Grey-Thompson with Lottery-funded athletes from Paris 2024.
We wouldn’t be where we are now without National Lottery funding making that possible.
Tanni Grey-Thompson

By the time Tanni retired from competition in 2007, she had won a further six Paralympic Gold Medals. She also held over 30 world records and won the London Marathon six times.

Tanni’s post-athletics career has been equally illustrious. Elevated to the House of Lords in 2010, Baroness Grey-Thompson has championed disability rights and has served on various committees and boards. 

In the 2000s, she was a member of the England Lottery Awards Panel, awarding millions of pounds worth of cash to sports projects across the country, from major schemes such as the renovation of Wembley Stadium to community initiatives.

Tanni said: “Obviously, it was exciting that major projects were made possible by lottery funding, but it would really touch you on a personal level to see the incredible impact that a smaller funding award could have – meeting older members of a community who had been given a chance to stay active and socialise, or seeing the enjoyment that young people felt from being part of something.

“There are countless examples of lottery funding doing amazing things for communities over three decades. Each year, Sport Wales awards millions of pounds of worth of National Lottery money to grassroots clubs in Wales, while we invest millions more into our fantastic partners who work every single day to improve people’s lives through sport.  

“Another lesser-known side effect of lottery funding is that it has changed rules to make sport more accessible to everyone. It seems like the dark ages now, but there were many golf clubs around 25 years ago where ladies had to use a side entrance and were only allowed to play at a particular time. 

“Well, it was made clear to those clubs that they wouldn’t be receiving any National Lottery funding unless they changed their rules. Fast forward to now, and you have golf clubs up and down the country with thriving ladies’ sections and wonderful initiatives to get more children and families playing together.”

Tanni concluded: “The National Lottery has been a game changer for Welsh sport over the last 30 years. The lottery’s impact has been felt at all levels of sport in Wales and in every community. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has ever played the National Lottery – thank you!”

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