ABSTRACT
With the advent of National Lottery funding in 1998 most sports, and certainly the leading ones, were encouraged by UK Sport to address the governance of their sports. Few had incorporated and many struggled with the mix of voluntary leaders alongside increasingly professional management. At times the rush to governance and risk management overtook the quest for higher levels of performance.
The case study that follows reflects on the performance of British Swimming and their swimming team at the Olympic Games in London in 2012, and the role of a board working together with their executive to deliver what was ultimately a disappointing performance at the Games. It highlights the respective roles of those involved in performance management and provides lessons for the leadership and governance for boards of national governing bodies of sport and other not-for-profit organisations.
