Scottish Government urged to appoint sports minister

Scotland's sporting governing bodies have urged the next Scottish Government to appoint a dedicated sports minister, do more to attract major events to the country, and stick to a commitment to double annual spending on sport to £100m. A new Scottish Parliament will be elected on 7 May and the Scottish Governing Body for Sport (SGBS) wants all parties to commit to manifesto promises to grow sports funding. But it says that: "While the recent announcement of a £20m increase is welcome, sports organisations need greater confidence about the timing of the delivery of the rest of the increase to enable them to cope with continuing issues around rising costs, increased demand and pressures on club and community sport.

" And it believes "it is time to give sport a full-time, dedicated minister rather than it being buried within an existing portfolio". Currently the role falls under a drugs and alcohol policy and sport brief. SGBS also wants "to ensure a lasting legacy from hosting events such as Glasgow 2026 and the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2027 by bringing more world and European events to Scotland".

It points out that the pledge to double funding to £100m per year by 2026 was made in 2021, but the government "had yet to increase sport's annual budget before January's announcement" of a £20m increase for next year. The sporting bodies want the remainder of the increase, "which has been signalled for later years in the next Parliament... nailed down no matter which party or parties make up the next Scottish Government".

SGBS Forum chair Doc McKelvey, chief executive of Scottish Gymnastics, said: "After years of serious financial challenges, we need to be confident that whoever forms the next Scottish Government will follow through on the funding commitment because while the uplift this year has been helpful, without the full level of committed support, sports governing bodies will still continue to struggle. "This Government's plan for a 'Summer of Sport' to celebrate our sporting success and encourage greater participation is very welcome but we need assurances on future funding that will enable all sports to build on that programme and deliver longer term positive outcomes. " The SGBS' recent Running on Empty campaign highlighted how sports in Scotland were "struggling to operate amid increasing financial pressures and standstill funding decisions over the last five years".