Paralympians warned over funding

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Britain's Paralympians could lose their funding completely if they abuse their backing, UK Sport has warned.

Under current rules the funding body is limited to recouping overpaid cash and issuing a warning to athletes.

It comes after GB wheelchair basketball player Ade Orogbemi was jailed for six months in April after admitting a £33,000 disability benefits fraud.

A court heard Orogbemi, 30, from Merseyside, was given a larger grant from UK Sport following a false claim.

'Clear policy'

A spokesman for UK Sport said: "There is now clear evidence that certain athletes are in breach of our agreement with them which is obviously something we take extremely seriously.

We seek to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect public investment from abuse UK Sport spokesman

"With that in mind, we will, through any future funding they receive from UK Sport, recoup any over-payments they have accumulated in the past. We will also issue them with a final written warning with regard to their future conduct.

"This is the maximum sanction they can face under our current rules.

"Going forward, we intend to embed a clear policy relating to breaches of our athlete agreement which will detail sanctions ranging from formal warning to the complete withdrawal of funding, as we seek to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect public investment from abuse."

Bronze medal

Liverpool Crown Court heard Orogbemi received an award from UK Sport in April 2001.

But the grant, through the National Lottery to help train international athletes, was reduced because he honestly declared he claimed income support.

When his grant was up for renewal in January 2002 he changed his story to get extra cash, insisting he was no longer receiving benefits.

But during November 2003 and October 2004 alone he received just under £22,000 funding as well as income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit he was dishonestly claiming.

Wolverhampton Rhinos player Orogbemi won a bronze medal with the Great Britain team at last year's Beijing Paralympics.

He had been due to captain the British team at next week's Paralympic World Cup.

His career began when he was spotted playing basketball on the streets of east London.