Sportscotland may have to consider elite athlete funding

Sportscotland chair Julia Bracewell said the 2012 London Olympics would result in an estimated �13m drop in Lottery funding.

She said the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would only be deemed a success if Scotland picked up medals.

The SNP pledged to abolish Sportscotland in its manifesto.

Ms Bracewell told MSPs that Lottery ticket sales diversions and direct contributions to the Olympics would leave the body with an estimated drop of �13m between now and 2012.

We are in between a rock and a hard place losing that �13m Julia Bracewell Sportscotland

That will see the agency receive less than �17m a year in Lottery cash, compared with �33m in 1997-98.

Although Scotland's elite athletes can access central Lottery funding, those competing in Commonwealth-only sports, such as rugby sevens and squash, will be supported by Sportscotland.

"We are in between a rock and a hard place losing that �13m," said Ms Bracewell.

"Our elite sports funding today runs at �5m a year so you could say 'no money into elite sport for three years'. I think governing bodies take about �4m or �5m a year, so you could say 'no money to governing bodies for three years'.

"Now obviously, there is a building for sports community programme which would just be wiped out."