A radical report published on Thursday, billed as "the most significant review of sport undertaken for more than 40 years", could change the shape of sport in the UK.
But what's the problem with the way sport is run now and what needs changing?
The government is estimated to spend �2.2bn a year on sport and physical activity in England alone.
But when David Moffett resigned as chief executive of Sport England in 2002 he was hugely critical of the manner in which sport in this country is organised.
"Many sports are still run in an amateurish way and there is a huge need for modernisation," he said.
"Unless this happens, this country will never have any meaningful success."
There are currently over 500 different organisations involved in running sport in this country - with 13 in golf alone.
Recent reorganisations have streamlined the unwieldy structure of sport in the United Kingdom, but doubts remain over its effectiveness and efficiency.
The government has a three-pronged approach to sport, which is overseen by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
ELITE SPORT - UK SPORT
UK Sport's primary role is the development of Britain's elite athletes, with drug testing and running major sporting events among its other responsibilities.
It was founded in 1997 and is funded by a mixture of government and lottery cash worth �30m-a-year.
The government funding helps run sport governing bodies by helping with the organisations' staff costs and paying for coaches.
UK Sport's other funding comes from a 9.2% share of the Lottery Sports Fund, which has been worth about �25m per annum for the past four years.
It is used to either support elite athletes directly or fund the back-up services they require, such as top-level medical care in case of injury.
OTHER SPORT - SPORT ENGLAND/SCOTLAND/WALES/NIRELAND
Since 1994 Sport England (which has equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has invested about �2bn into sport below the elite level, often referred to as "grass roots".
It aims to get people to start playing sport, to stay playing sport and to succeed in sport - ie give them the opportunity to move up to the elite level, if they have the ability.
The organisation operates through nine regional bodies and works in conjunction with the national governing bodies for different sports.
Sport England filters money down through the system so it ends up in the hands of local sports clubs who can put it to use to improve local facilities and access to sport.
But the division of responsibility with UK Sport has always been blurred, and earlier this month, its powers and staff were cut. The body is now solely responsible for the development of the grassroots and health-related programmes, and 41 jobs were axed at its headquarters. Over the last two years it has shed 250 staff.
It is not clear whether similar streamlining would be applied to Sport Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
SCHOOL SPORT - DCMS AND DfES
School sport is jointly overseen by the two government departments, the DCMS and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), who between them have invested �459m over three years in physical education, school sport and links with clubs.
The money is used for:
Coaching
Sports clubs
Volunteering
Making schools hubs of sporting activity But despite all that, the amount of sport in British schools remains pitifully low, at least in the state sector, which saw participation levels fall away dramatically in the 1980s.
The government is aiming to get 75% of pupils doing two hours sport a week, either in or outside of the curriculum, by 2006.
But figures from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority reveal only about one-third of schools are currently meeting that 75% target.
And a sign of how skewed British sport is at school level is the fact that 60% of Olympic medals at the Sydney Olympics were won by athletes who were educated at private schools, despite only 7% of the population being educated privately.
INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
Sport in the UK is by no means only organised by the government.
National governing bodies, such as the Football Association, England and Wales Cricket Board and Rugby Football Union, are independent of the government and play a major role.
They are represented by the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR), which is an umbrella organisation for the national governing and representative bodies of sport and recreation in the UK.
Although receiving government funding, it is independent and is not controlled by the government.
There are also a number of other funding options, including the Big Lottery Fund and Awards for All, which both use lottery cash.
Further possibilities include the Football Foundation, Inclusive Fitness Initiative and Sportsmatch.
All in all it is a tangled web which has failed to provide a streamlined system which enables sport to thrive at either the grass roots or elite level in the UK.
Major government figures are believed to agree things could be improved - though it remains to be seen whether Thursday's recommendations are considered too radical.
MMIX
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