Great Britain's success at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and Paralympics has led UK Sport "to double its funding for winter sports over the next four years," according to the BBC. UK Sport will invest up to £31M ($53M) in eight sports "after Team GB won 10 Olympic and Paralympic medals in Sochi." It "is a rise" from the £14.2M ($24M) invested in the run-up to the 2014 Games. Lizzy Yarnold's skeleton gold has led to a £3.1M ($5.3M) "increase in skeleton funding in the run-up to the Pyeongchang
Games in 2018," while the two curling medals have prompted a funding rise
of £3.3M ($5.6M). More than £3.3M "will also go towards ski and snowboard sports" after Jenny Jones delivered GB's first medal in snowboard slopestyle in Sochi. Team GB's short-track speed skaters "failed to deliver on their promise, with Elise Christie's three disqualifications a notable setback," but the sport has nevertheless been awarded funding of £4.3M ($7.3M), up from £2.9M ($5M) (BBC, 6/26). UK Sport Dir of Performance Simon Timson said, "I think we can safely say now that we have the best ever cohort of British Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes, supported by the strongest set of programs in winter sports, that we have ever had" (PA, 6/26).
