Steve Tew: High Performance Sport NZ Director on the funding allocation leading into the LA Olympics
December 18, 2024 • 6 mins
As always, there are winners and losers in High Performance Sport’s latest funding round.
In the lead up to the LA Olympics in 2028, the organisation has allocated $163 million to 36 different sports.
Rowing, yachting, athletics, cycling, and canoeing all got a funding boost, while sports like hockey, equestrian, and men’s sevens are worse off.
Director Steve Tew says past performance was key when making the decision.
He told Heather du Plessis-Allan they really need to hone in on the sports, athletes, and teams that are tracking towards a top eight or podium in LA.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So as always, there have been winners and there have
been losers. In the last round of high performance sport
funding and the lead up to Alay's Olympics, one hundred
and sixty three million dollars is heading to thirty six
different sports. High Performance Sport New Zealand director Steve Choose
with US Now morning, Steve, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Yeah, I'm very well. Thank You had some tough calls
in here, didn't you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well did Yeah, As you said in your intro, there's
always sports that are happy at the end of this
process and some that are disappointed, and that's that's very unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah, Now tell me why you're not funding hockey.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, we are funding hockey, so to be clear, they're
still a decent junk of in the end government money
and behind hockey. But it's a significant job that we
have about half Yeah about that speaking, it's a difficult
it's a very difficult decision for hockey. But over a
long period of time we haven't had a success that
this investment is seeking and we've had to make some
(00:52):
tough calls because we had requests for about fifty seven
million and we had lest of just another forty one
million has distribute well, because the.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Thing about hockey is hockey's ever done particularly well, has it?
So are you looking at it over as series of
events rather than just the last one.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, we look past performance as an informer of what's
going to happen in the future, but we're really looking
at what's in front of us now. And we know
that New Zealander's got inspired when we went to Paris
and we won twenty medals, ten cold we're the day
we were won three, which was pretty magic. Those are
very high achievements for a country of our sives. We
can repeat anything like that. We really need to hone
(01:27):
in on those sports, those athletes and teams that are
tracking towards top eight and podium in LA and at
the moment we don't believe hockey in that category.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
But what about rugby sevens because and this is the
men's not the women. The men had a bit of
a bummer, but generally we do quite well in it.
So why cut their funding?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Well, again, we just don't have enough money to do that.
We would like we certainly celebrate what the break provenciers
have done. They're our most successful team sport. I think
certainly in the Olympic of violent and if not full
stop with the new Yond the men, they've won one
medal of three Olympics, we believe they're still a medal prospect,
which is why we're still left a reasonable amount of
support them behind them. Which other sports where we look
(02:06):
at it and go, that's quite a big number. But
they had to take a cat as well because they
didn't achieve in Paris.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, and what about tennis, because I see you guys
bumped up the funding. What are you seeing there that
looks so promising to you?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Well, there's a potential woman's double peering there that's very
exciting and that's a campaign will monitor as we go through.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Which one is that one?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Aaron and Sulan?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Okay, so possibility. Do you think they're of something actually
developing and it becoming a big thing?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, you've got someone ranked I think number one and
one of the doubles and someone ranked them the top
Firsially haven't got that information in front of me, Sorry, Heather,
but yeah, new pairing and really have money is only
to give them a chance to play together more often
and to have some individual peering. Coach Steve, is this.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
The best way to do it, because it feels to
me like, you know, if you're having a bit of
a like. Let's take the example of the men's rugby,
right the sevens, they generally do really well, have a
bit of an off period, and then their funding gets cut,
which just will make that so much harder to climb
out of it. So it almost compounds.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Well, and obviously we're always looking at to see if
we can do these things better either, and I don't
think there's ever a right answer. I mean, we had
we had the meetings with over fifty organizations which needed
to be moderated, and as I say, you know, we
were a number of way way more of what we
had to distribute. So our teams went through I think
maybe a dozen iterations of what the funding general might
(03:30):
look like, and in the end we had to say, actually,
there's no perfect answer here either. I mean, in the
sense of the delusion means the meaned three Olympics in
one one meal. We believe they were a prospects, we're
backed them with some funding, not the extent that they
got last time, but consequences are not performing.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Now let's talk about the sports. Esports is not a
sport is it Steve, Well.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
We categorize it as a sport, but it's not. Actually,
Oh that's a matter for you. You can have your
own view. I mean certainly more us on there in
the group considered esport to be as bot. I mean
there are three categories of the sports too. You've got
to remember, you know, there's the simulated games, there's traditional gaming,
and then there and then there's well we know, I
think they you can think about it once were cycling
(04:11):
when they're sleek, So you've got people sitting on bikes
and the IRGs. Yeah, it's other electronically, that's definitely a
physical activity, and you've got those that play the virtual games.
So we it's not an issue for us abou whether
it's a sport or not. We just don't believe that
they are currently tracking towards how does.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
It be classified as a sport? I mean, why why
is that a sport?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
And I don't know, scrabbles not well that you could
ask people of higher authority than mine. The io c
are certainly deems it to be a sport. They're holding
an Estport Olympics every two years, so we're specified it
as a sport and I say, there's the name I
was looking for. That to the cycling, you know, people
sitting on a wind wheel or on an electronic cycle
(04:51):
doing a virtual race. That's most definitely physical activity. Yeah,
a couple of other versions that people might question, but
that's the something they have to say. We didn't. We
didn't make the decision around esport based on their classifications
of a sport or not. We love to bear their
ethics coming through what we know is going to happen
at the Games, which is not very much yet, and
decided we didn't have the funds to back them.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
So in the future, given that we classified as a sport,
if they do well in their their esport Olympics or whatever,
it is potential for us to actually fund them. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, And in fact, we've said to everybody who we
haven't been able to fund this time around, we'll get
a relationship open because there's a lot of really good
work going on here. Esports. Guys are really well organized,
they've got a great program, and we're sorry we can't
help them at this particular point in time. The things
change and on we get some more funding. Then we
were very able to a conversation as we were during
(05:41):
the last cycle. You know, we made some adjustments between
Tokyo and Paris, and many of those paid off for us.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Okay, Steve, thanks very much, really appreciate it. Steve Chu,
High Performance Sport New Zealand director, hither esports are not
a sport. Hither did you know that bridges considered a
sport as well? Just wonder about categorization of what is
a sport has been perhaps a little bit wide. What
do you think. I mean, It's not like I'm trying
to figure out I'm trying to figure out why I
don't think these things are sports, But I just think
it's probably ultimately a lack of understanding of what makes
(06:07):
this thing. So I don't understand what makes you very
special If you sit with a PlayStation in your hand
and toggle it with your thumbs. I mean, I feel
like I am a boomer. I know that in my spirit,
I know that this is a generational thing. You try
and tell a tell one of the young ones whatever
that call gen zs or whatever. This They probably disagree
with me entirely, but I can see the effort that's
being made in order for somebody to do the high
(06:30):
jump or run really fast on a raby Ffel can't
quite see the effort that's going on when you're doing
the e sports. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks that'd be from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
So as always, there have been winners and there have
been losers. In the last round of high performance sport
funding and the lead up to Alay's Olympics, one hundred
and sixty three million dollars is heading to thirty six
different sports. High Performance Sport New Zealand director Steve Choose
with US Now morning, Steve, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Yeah, I'm very well. Thank You had some tough calls
in here, didn't you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well did Yeah, As you said in your intro, there's
always sports that are happy at the end of this
process and some that are disappointed, and that's that's very unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah, Now tell me why you're not funding hockey.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, we are funding hockey, so to be clear, they're
still a decent junk of in the end government money
and behind hockey. But it's a significant job that we
have about half Yeah about that speaking, it's a difficult
it's a very difficult decision for hockey. But over a
long period of time we haven't had a success that
this investment is seeking and we've had to make some
(00:52):
tough calls because we had requests for about fifty seven
million and we had lest of just another forty one
million has distribute well, because the.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Thing about hockey is hockey's ever done particularly well, has it?
So are you looking at it over as series of
events rather than just the last one.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, we look past performance as an informer of what's
going to happen in the future, but we're really looking
at what's in front of us now. And we know
that New Zealander's got inspired when we went to Paris
and we won twenty medals, ten cold we're the day
we were won three, which was pretty magic. Those are
very high achievements for a country of our sives. We
can repeat anything like that. We really need to hone
(01:27):
in on those sports, those athletes and teams that are
tracking towards top eight and podium in LA and at
the moment we don't believe hockey in that category.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
But what about rugby sevens because and this is the
men's not the women. The men had a bit of
a bummer, but generally we do quite well in it.
So why cut their funding?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Well, again, we just don't have enough money to do that.
We would like we certainly celebrate what the break provenciers
have done. They're our most successful team sport. I think
certainly in the Olympic of violent and if not full
stop with the new Yond the men, they've won one
medal of three Olympics, we believe they're still a medal prospect,
which is why we're still left a reasonable amount of
support them behind them. Which other sports where we look
(02:06):
at it and go, that's quite a big number. But
they had to take a cat as well because they
didn't achieve in Paris.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, and what about tennis, because I see you guys
bumped up the funding. What are you seeing there that
looks so promising to you?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Well, there's a potential woman's double peering there that's very
exciting and that's a campaign will monitor as we go through.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Which one is that one?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Aaron and Sulan?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Okay, so possibility. Do you think they're of something actually
developing and it becoming a big thing?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, you've got someone ranked I think number one and
one of the doubles and someone ranked them the top
Firsially haven't got that information in front of me, Sorry, Heather,
but yeah, new pairing and really have money is only
to give them a chance to play together more often
and to have some individual peering. Coach Steve, is this.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
The best way to do it, because it feels to
me like, you know, if you're having a bit of
a like. Let's take the example of the men's rugby,
right the sevens, they generally do really well, have a
bit of an off period, and then their funding gets cut,
which just will make that so much harder to climb
out of it. So it almost compounds.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Well, and obviously we're always looking at to see if
we can do these things better either, and I don't
think there's ever a right answer. I mean, we had
we had the meetings with over fifty organizations which needed
to be moderated, and as I say, you know, we
were a number of way way more of what we
had to distribute. So our teams went through I think
maybe a dozen iterations of what the funding general might
(03:30):
look like, and in the end we had to say, actually,
there's no perfect answer here either. I mean, in the
sense of the delusion means the meaned three Olympics in
one one meal. We believe they were a prospects, we're
backed them with some funding, not the extent that they
got last time, but consequences are not performing.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Now let's talk about the sports. Esports is not a
sport is it Steve, Well.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
We categorize it as a sport, but it's not. Actually,
Oh that's a matter for you. You can have your
own view. I mean certainly more us on there in
the group considered esport to be as bot. I mean
there are three categories of the sports too. You've got
to remember, you know, there's the simulated games, there's traditional gaming,
and then there and then there's well we know, I
think they you can think about it once were cycling
(04:11):
when they're sleek, So you've got people sitting on bikes
and the IRGs. Yeah, it's other electronically, that's definitely a
physical activity, and you've got those that play the virtual games.
So we it's not an issue for us abou whether
it's a sport or not. We just don't believe that
they are currently tracking towards how does.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
It be classified as a sport? I mean, why why
is that a sport?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
And I don't know, scrabbles not well that you could
ask people of higher authority than mine. The io c
are certainly deems it to be a sport. They're holding
an Estport Olympics every two years, so we're specified it
as a sport and I say, there's the name I
was looking for. That to the cycling, you know, people
sitting on a wind wheel or on an electronic cycle
(04:51):
doing a virtual race. That's most definitely physical activity. Yeah,
a couple of other versions that people might question, but
that's the something they have to say. We didn't. We
didn't make the decision around esport based on their classifications
of a sport or not. We love to bear their
ethics coming through what we know is going to happen
at the Games, which is not very much yet, and
decided we didn't have the funds to back them.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
So in the future, given that we classified as a sport,
if they do well in their their esport Olympics or whatever,
it is potential for us to actually fund them. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, And in fact, we've said to everybody who we
haven't been able to fund this time around, we'll get
a relationship open because there's a lot of really good
work going on here. Esports. Guys are really well organized,
they've got a great program, and we're sorry we can't
help them at this particular point in time. The things
change and on we get some more funding. Then we
were very able to a conversation as we were during
(05:41):
the last cycle. You know, we made some adjustments between
Tokyo and Paris, and many of those paid off for us.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Okay, Steve, thanks very much, really appreciate it. Steve Chu,
High Performance Sport New Zealand director, hither esports are not
a sport. Hither did you know that bridges considered a
sport as well? Just wonder about categorization of what is
a sport has been perhaps a little bit wide. What
do you think. I mean, It's not like I'm trying
to figure out I'm trying to figure out why I
don't think these things are sports, But I just think
it's probably ultimately a lack of understanding of what makes
(06:07):
this thing. So I don't understand what makes you very
special If you sit with a PlayStation in your hand
and toggle it with your thumbs. I mean, I feel
like I am a boomer. I know that in my spirit,
I know that this is a generational thing. You try
and tell a tell one of the young ones whatever
that call gen zs or whatever. This They probably disagree
with me entirely, but I can see the effort that's
being made in order for somebody to do the high
(06:30):
jump or run really fast on a raby Ffel can't
quite see the effort that's going on when you're doing
the e sports. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks that'd be from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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