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SPARC, the New Zealand Sport and Recreation Agency, has announced a four year 2009-2012 high performance investment program for targeted sports.

Geared towards making New Zealand athletes successful at the London 2012 Olympic Games, SPARC High Performance Manager Martin Toomey explains that "priority has been given to sports with the greatest chance of success. We have had to be uncompromising in applying criteria based on past performance and the likelihood of future success.

"It is encouraging to see national sports organisations have across the board significantly improved their planning and sharpened their focus on raising standards for elite athletes.

"This investment supports SPARC's High Performance strategy aimed at creating depth rather than breadth at the elite level. This approach paid off in Beijing and I firmly believe it will produce results in London."

Under the High Performance Strategy 2006-2012 New Zealand is targeting at least 10 medals for the London Olympics.

The funding levels are locked in for the next two years, after which a mid-term review against the various high performance plans will be conducted. Funding levels will be maintained for the following two years though to 2012 if targets are being met.

Toomey says while it is encouraging that investment levels are higher than they were in the last Olympic cycle, there are pressures on the national sports organisations such as falling exchange rates and increasing costs of competing overseas.

Investment in the key sports for the period 2009-2012 are athletics, $5.2 million; cycling, $12 million; rowing, $12 million; swimming, $5.4 million; triathlon, $4.8 million and yachting, $8.6 million.

SPARC's targeted investment is part of an overall high performance investment program of approximately $35 million per annum.

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19th May 2008 - SPARC APPOINTS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE

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