The £8m reality of Blair's £750m pledge for sport
Tony Blair's promises to boost sport in deprived areas were last night exposed as a farce after figures revealed a huge shortfall in funding.
The Prime Minister grabbed headlines after vowing to launch a 'crusade' to turn around the nation's sporting fortunes by investing £750million in grass roots activities.
But official statistics have revealed that only £8.1million has been spent in seven years.
They also show that Mr Blair's pledge to set up 30 'Sports Action Zones' - to encourage people in impoverished areas - has fallen short as there are only 12 such zones to date.
The Liberal Democrats last night said Mr Blair's promise to revive sport in Britain was yet another example of Labour spin.
The figures will add to the controversy over the £2.2billion raid on good causes, such as sports clubs, to pay the bill for the 2012 Olympics which has soared to £9.3billion.
A fifth of the entire lottery budget until 2013 will be swallowed by the Olympics. The Government is being forced to bail out the project to the tune of £5.95billion - £4.9billion more than first planned.
Some of this money was supposed to be ploughed into sports projects in deprived areas.
Back in 2000, Mr Blair pledged to plough £750million into the Sports Action Zones and promised to offer every school pupil the right to at least two hours of games a week.
He also vowed that an army of sports assistants would work with 1,000 co-ordinators in setting up after-school clubs. "We have under-invested in sport for too long," Mr Blair said at the time.
However, the latest figures, obtained by the LibDems, show that only £8.1million has been spent on Sports Action Zones.
In addition, the go-ahead has been given for building on 1,000 small playing fields in the last five years, despite Labour's pledge to protect them.
LibDem leader Sir Menzies Campbell, a former Olympic sprinter, said: "This Government has broken its promises to provide sports equipment, facilities and coaching in our most deprived areas.
"Sports clubs can cut anti-social behaviour. By getting involved in sport, young people gain confidence, respect and self-discipline.
"All of these qualities can help to stop the downward spiral towards a life of crime. But this Government's approach has focused on chasing headlines."
Sports Minister Richard Caborn said: "The Government has invested a record amount of money into sport. Since 2001, more than £1billion has been committed to opening or refurbishing over 4,000 sports facilities."
