The 11 NGBs appealing to Grainger, who starts as chair of UK Sport this week, are those of archery, badminton, baseball/softball, basketball, fencing, handball, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and wheelchair rugby.
They believe there is ‘fat’ in the agency’s £137.5 million annual budget, around two-thirds of which is awarded to NGBs, with the balance spent on securing major events, supporting election campaigns at international level, and funding the ever-expanding English Institute of Sport.
As well as lobbying Grainger, they have arranged to meet sports minister Tracey Crouch – who ultimately holds the fate of UK Sport in her hands – and are considering commissioning a poll to find out whether or not taxpayers want to continue to bankroll the country’s relentless pursuit of medals at the expense of an increasing number of sports.