§ Mr. Jim MurphyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many sports his Department recognises for the purpose of funding. [27125]
§ Mr. BanksThe Government do not decide what is and what is not a sport. As independent corporate bodies established by Royal Charter, the Sports Councils decide which activities are eligible for support to enable the most efficient and effective use of the funding made available to them.
Currently, 112 sporting activities are eligible to be considered for the full range of the Sports Council's services. There are 414 governing bodies of these sports. Along with the Ministers of Sport for Scotland, Wales and 323W Northern Ireland, I have asked the Chairmen of the Sports Councils to review the criteria for the recognition of sports.