2012 funding list released

Charles van Commenee: Funding for athletes

UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee has stressed there is still "work to be done" ahead of next year's Olympics after revealing which athletes will receive lottery funding for 2012.

Van Commenee has already set a target of eight medals, one of them gold, in London, one more than the total won at the World Championships in Daegu earlier this year.

The Dutchman was pleased to see his team win two gold, four silver and one bronze medal in South Korea, but admitted that too many athletes failed to get in contention to add to the medal tally, even labelling the men's 4x400 metres relay team "appalling" for a perceived lack of effort.

"We operate in a results-driven business in which clear decisions have to be made if athletes are not performing to the high standards we set," Van Commenee said today.

"We have reviewed performances from 2011, including those from previous years, and identified what needs to be done in order to meet our targets for 2012.

"Progress was made in 2011 but there is still work to be done before next August to make our athletes perform better. A target of eight medals including one gold still remains."

Podium level

Unsurprisingly, world champions Mo Farah and Dai Greene are among those athletes supported by the top 'Podium' level of the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP), along with the likes of silver medallists Phillips Idowu, Jessica Ennis and Hannah England and bronze medallist Andy Turner.

Following their top-eight finishes in Daegu, hurdler Tiffany Porter and triple jumper Yamile Aldama will now also receive full podium level support, despite criticism of them as 'plastic Brits'.

Porter was born in Michigan and represented the United States at junior level but has a dual passport thanks to her English mother and has since opted to compete for Great Britain.

Aldama was born in and competed for Cuba before switching allegiance to Sudan. She obtained British citizenship in 2010, having married her Scottish husband in 2001 and moved to London in the same year.

Also elevated to podium funding are the likes of European Under-23 champions Holly Bleasdale (pole vault) and Jack Green (400m hurdles), while discus champion Lawrence Okoye - who failed to qualify for Daegu - has been included in the development squad for the first time.

Marathon man

Scott Overall's shock fifth place at the recent Berlin marathon also sees him elevated to development funding.

Van Commenee added: "The athletes selected onto the programme will deservedly be given support from UKA and the National Lottery and these people will perform to the highest possible standard for the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team on the international stage.

"The funding made available to UKA from the National Lottery enables our athletes to work with the best coaches and other support staff to ensure they got the best possible preparation for when they pull on a Great Britain vest."

European silver medallist Mark Lewis-Francis receives relay funding after a poor 2011 which saw him disqualified from the World Championship trials for a false start.

Reigning Paralympic champion David Weir is among 25 Paralympic athletes named at podium level.

World Class Performance Programme 2011/12

Podium funding
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Yamile Aldama, Hollie Arnold, Michael Bingham, Paul Blake, Holly Bleasdale, Sally Brown, Mickey Bushell, Chris Clarke, Libby Clegg, Hannah Cockroft, Tasha Danvers, Aled Davies, Hatti Dean, Kate Dennison, David Devine, Marlon Devonish, Lisa Dobriskey, Nathan Douglas, Kyron Duke, Hannah England, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Dan Greaves, Jack Green, Dai Greene, Katrina Hart, Phillips Idowu, Emma Jackson, Beverley Jones, Jeanette Kwakye, Nigel Levine, Steve Lewis, Christian Malcolm, Lee McConnell, Jenny McLoughlin, Jenny Meadows, Stephen Miller, Scott Moorhouse, Brett Morse, Christine Ohuruogu, Marilyn Okoro, Craig Pickering, Tiffany Porter, Shara Proctor, Paula Radcliffe, Stefanie Reid, Michael Rimmer, Hazel Robson, Martyn Rooney, Ben Rushgrove, Greg Rutherford, Nicola Sanders, Goldie Sayers, Perri Shakes-Drayton, William Sharman, Nathan Stephens, Richard Strachan, Chris Thompson, Chris Tomlinson, Andy Turner, Steph Twell, Sophia Warner, David Weir, Dan West, Richard Whitehead, Rhys Williams, Shelly Woods, Bethany Woodward, Nathan Woodward, Mara Yamauchi

Podium Relay funding

Shana Cox, James Ellington, Mark Lewis-Francis

Development funding

Ola Abidogun, Jonathan Adams, James Alaka, Meghan Beesley, David Bolarinwa, Ashley Bryant, Abdul Buhari, Eilidh Child, Sean Clare, Lawrence Clarke, Adam Cotton, Lee Doran, Max Eaves, Luke Fagan, Adam Gemili, Thomas Green, Charlie Grice, David Guest, Matthew Hickling, Sophie Hitchon, Jordan Howe, Katarina Johnson Thompson, Jade Jones, Rhys Jones, Luke Lennon Ford, Mervyn Luckwell, Jack Meredith, Eilish McColgan, Dean Miller, Mukhtar Mohammed, Jade Nicholls, Georgina Oliver, Lawrence Okoye, Andrew Osagie, Scott Overall, Jonathan Peacock, Andrew Pozzi, Charlotte Purdue, Julian Reid, Matthew Roberts, Laura Samuel, Chris Scott, James Shane, Lynsey Sharp, Vicky Silk, Alex Smith, Stacey Smith, Andrew Sutcliffe, Danny Talbot, Owain Taylor, Kieran Tscherniawsky, Lorraine Ugen, Laura Weightman, Laura Whittingham