I’m convinced that UK Sport has got its priorities in a twist, writes Ruth Wishart.

Almost all the sports which lost appeals this week against losing funding could make a convincing argument to stay on the list - not least badminton, which actually fulfilled its expected medal haul in Rio, and which is widely played.

And in the Paralympics, it seems perverse to axe money to wheelchair rugby, which is not only really popular with energetic young men who have become paralysed, but is one of the most exciting spectator sports on offer.

It seems to me the body has become obsessively fixated on the national medal count whilst losing sight of the mantra which it always recited prior to the London games - that legacy was all important.

That if we put shed-loads of money into staging such an event, it must deliver in terms of mass sporting participation.

And there is another issue too rarely aired: some of the well funded sports who do brilliantly in terms of medals are often those largely featuring in English, and less often Scottish, public schools.

And, as a recent BBC Scotland investigation revealed, public school athletes are over-represented in almost all Olympic UK line ups.

This is not to say their achievements shouldn’t be lauded – but we need to find ways of funding sports in the state sector so that youngsters there have an equal chance of, ahem, competing on a level playing field.