This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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London 2012 Olympics
15/03/2007
Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson today responded to the announcement by the UK Government on how the increased costs of the 2012 Olympics are to be funded.
Ms Ferguson said:
"The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve society and transform the lives of millions.
"The Scottish Executive is determined that Scotland will maximise these benefits and bring London 2012 to as many Scots as possible."
"I fully understand, and indeed share, the concerns about the possible impact of the costs of the Olympic Games on the National Lottery.
"It is unfortunate that additional National Lottery funds will be required to assist with the costs.
"I believe that serious consideration should be given to funding streams other than the National Lottery to meet these additional costs, and I will continue to discuss the implications of this announcement with the Secretary of State.
"I want to minimise the impact on National Lottery funding for good causes in Scotland.
"So it is encouraging that we have a promise from the UK government that no existing lottery project will be affected and the voluntary sector, which relies so much on this funding to do good work, will not be hit.
"We have already secured the agreement of the UK Government that Scotland's £25 million contribution to £340 million of sports Lottery funding will be retained and spent here on Scotland's athletes."