The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) is the government body responsible for designing sport policy across the United Kingdom, comprised of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The largest country is England, which like the others is guided by an entity, Sport England, that provides oversight of the mass sport movement with financial support from DCMS. Established by Royal Charter in 1996, Sport England supports the development of community programs for youth. Playing a similar role in their countries are Sport Wales, Sportscotland, and Sport Northern Ireland. Concurrently, the government created the National Lottery, the key source of income for quasi-governmental organizations such as Sport England.

A separate governing body, UK Sport, serves all the United Kingdom and focuses on the top end of athlete pathways, with no direct involvement in community or school sport. UK Sport funds every athlete considered to have a credible chance of winning a medal during a four-year Olympic or Paralympic cycle. Approximately 543m GBP ($710m USD) is given to UK Sport annually through a mix of government and national lottery funding. Working alongside UK Sport is the British Olympic Association (BOA), the national Olympic committee responsible for selecting teams for the summer, winter, and youth Olympic Games. Its members include the national governing bodies of sports represented in the Olympics. The BOA is independent and privately funded, relying solely on fundraising and event revenues to cover its costs. The British Paralympic Association is separate and functions in a similar model to the BOA.

UK Sport and Sport England are responsible for the safeguarding and wellbeing of all participants. Due to a series of high profile issues, the government commissioned a Duty of Care in Sport Review in 2017, which set forth a new series of recommendations and compulsory changes. Additionally, Sport Integrity is a third-party service provider for elite athletes and staff with concerns for unacceptable behavior. Lastly, the British Elite Athletes Association, an independent representative for elite athletes, offers a confidential avenue to seek guidance and support regarding team culture, athlete representation, equality/diversity/inclusion, mental health, safeguarding, anti-doping, and national team selection.