Jeremy Hunt issues warning to BOA over financial disagreement

By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 11:44 AM on 27th March 2011

Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt has told the British Olympic Association to sort out their financial squabbles, declaring: 'There is no more money.'

The BOA are in dispute with the 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) over how any profits from the enterprise will be divvied up.

Making his point: Hunt has told the BOA to sort out their financial squabble

As it stands, the BOA would be entitled to a cut of any surplus after 2012, but with Paralympic losses expected to cancel out any Olympic gains, this would likely be a negligible figure.

Instead, the BOA want to take a share before the Paralympic results are taken into account and, despite the IOC ruling against them, are taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Should they be successful, it would require either LOCOG somehow to generate more money, or for the cash to be shifted from the wider sport budget, affecting other projects.

Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, is also worried the conflict could cause the bodies to take their eyes off the ball in other areas.

The clock is ticking: The London Olympics kick-off in just over a year

He told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek: 'It's an extraordinary thing just over a year before the games that we're getting into this sort of dispute which, frankly, isn't going to benefit anyone. It's just going to line the pockets of lawyers.

'The BOA is fantastically important to the success of 2012. 'They have got to look after 550 athletes, it's a massive logistical operation to run that village...and they've got to run the holding camp. 'Everyone in that organisation needs to be focused on that logistical challenge.

'The second thing is I can't really see how anyone's going to be a winner from this because there is no more money. 'Sport got a very good settlement in the comprehensive spending review.

Eyes on the prize: London's 2012 chief Lord Sebastian Coe (right)

'No-one's going to be able to go back to the Treasury and ask for more money so even if the BOA win, the money's going to have to come out of another part of the sports budget or the Olympics budget. 'So I really hope everyone involved will settle this as quickly as possible and focus on what the country wants, which is 2012.'

The situation has led to speculation over the future of BOA chairman Lord Moynihan, whose position many feel would be untenable should his organisation lose. He and his chief executive, Andy Hunt, have already been excluded from LOCOG board meetings.

Asked to comment on Moynihan's position, Jeremy Hunt said: 'The BOA rightly operates at arm's length from the Government so who they have is up to them.

'But what I would say as the Culture Secretary is this is not the right argument for us to be having so close to having the Olympics in our country and we need to sort it out very quickly.'

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