Steve Scott remains part of the GB shooting team despite a funding cut

UK Sport's performance chief has backed the decision to strip shooting of £4.3m in funding ahead of London 2012.

Peter Keen told BBC Radio 5 live the sport had suffered a 76% reduction in its funding because it had "not performed" over the past eight years.

"They've not exceeded the performance standards they were achieving before lottery funding," said Keen.

"When there's a shortfall in budget, we'll maintain investment in sports that are performing."

In January 2009, shooting was one of eight Olympic sports to suffer as a result of a £50m budget shortfall.

The sport has since axed all but five of its 40-plus funded athletes and in February the performance director was made redundant, a position which remains vacant.

"Some difficult decisions had to be taken," admitted Phil Scanlan, British Shooting's team leader.

"We had to look at people's performance levels and there were people we couldn't possibly continue with on the programme.

"Maybe we should have looked at some of those a bit earlier and perhaps we were funding some people who weren't worthy of a place.

"But that decision has been taken, that's behind us, we're moving forward and things look much more positive for the remaining five."

Scanlan said the decision to vastly reduce the sport's funding had halted a number of projects designed with the London Games in 2012 in mind.

"We had several projects we were funding at the time which we've had to stop, and we won't be able to see if they come to fruition now," he said.

"They were three or four-year projects that now can't happen because we've had to look for ways to make our money go further.

Where sports have had their chance, and there isn't enough resource, then those tough calls get made Peter Keen

"We've rationalised our coaching, we've had to lose our full-time performance director, and we've had to cut our cloth according to the budget we have.

"But I don't think we're any less effective at the moment and we're in good shape to have some success."

Keen said a successful British Olympic team could not afford to prop up ailing sports that had squandered opportunities while receiving full funding.

"The reason we're being successful is because we invest in performance and excellence," said the former cycling performance director.

"The simple truth with shooting is they've had the opportunities that sailing, cycling and rowing have had for eight years of very good funding, and they've actually not performed.

"Where sports have had their chance, and there isn't enough resource, then those tough calls get made.

"In the case of shooting they've had multi-million pound investment in two Olympic cycles, not won a single medal and actually, in absolute terms, are probably performing worse than they were before funding.

"That simply doesn't scan - something has to change.

"They've looked at their systems and they've made some dramatic changes. They still have funding it's a lot less than they had and if they start to move forward and perform, that funding will increase.

"These are the tough calls you have to make whether you pick a team or invest across programmes but it has to be merit based and performance judged."

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