British Cycling hopes £40m funding secure after rule changes

British Cycling hopes it has made sure of securing at least £40 million ($52 million, 45 million euros) from national funding agency UK Sport after voting in reforms at an extraordinary general meeting on Saturday. Had it not accepted proposals to implement UK sports minister Tracey Crouch's call for increased diversity by October, British Cycling risked losing some £40 million of funding. But there was resistance to change among some British Cycling members, prompting fears the calls for governance changes would fail to get the required 75 percent backing at the EGM. So concerned was British cycling great Chris Hoy, a multiple Olympic gold medallist, he wrote an open letter to all those voting urging them to back the changes. Now the proposals have been approved, with one amendment which would allow the 10 English regions to nominate a board member. Julie Harrington, British Cycling's chief executive, said Saturday: "Today, British Cycling's National Council voted in favour of changes to our constitution in order to ensure that we are compliant with the Code for Sports Governance. "Without secured funding we will not be able to share our love of the sport and enable others to try it. Our sport is growing and growing up. Today's vote is the start of an exciting new chapter for British Cycling and our sport." Earlier this month, Table Tennis England saw its Sport England funding of nearly £9 million suspended after its members narrowly voted against the same proposals. Saturday's vote came against a backdrop of problems for Britain's Team Sky, whose star rider Chris Froome currently leads the Tour de France. Team principal Dave Brailsford and Sky as a whole have come under the spotlight recently over a slew of scandals including bullying in British Cycling, the use of legal therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) by former rider Bradley Wiggins to take otherwise banned substances before three Grand Tours, and the contents of a mysterious package delivered to Wiggins before the Criterium du Dauphine in 2011.