£4million boost to Commonwealth athletes after record Olympics medal haul

CULTURE Secretary Karen Bradley announced a £4million cash boost for England's Commonwealth Games athletes yesterday - to help them beat the Aussies on their own turf in two years' time.

The lottery funding from Sport England will pay for a full team of 390 athletes competing across 18 able-bodied and para sports.

Team England topped the table in Glasgow in 2014 with 174 medals with Australia a close second winning 137 medals.

But ministers said lottery funding helped Team GB to a record medal haul in Rio and wanted to support athletes heading Down Under in 2018.

Ms Bradley told delegates at Tory party conference: "It will allow Team England – who topped the medal table in Glasgow 2014 – to take on the Aussies in their own back yard.

“Of course we’ll be looking to work with Australia as one of our closest friends, but – hey – we still want to beat them." Ms Bradley spoke after a group of Olympic and Paralympic stars took to the stage at the conference to talk about their sporting success and how it can be passed down to future generations.

The Government said the funding will help pay for a preparation camp ahead of the Games, to help athletes get used to the hot climate.

It also means that Team England will be able to send a full quota of around 400 athletes, who will compete in 18 sports, including 38 para-medal events, in what will be the largest ever para-sport programme.

Ms Bradley added: "This is fantastic news for Team England and will allow them to take a fully-prepared team so they can try and replicate their phenomenal success from Glasgow 2014.

"As we saw at Rio 2016, Lottery funding has played a crucial role in our sporting success and the support from the public will allow our athletes to continue to shine on the international stage."