UK Athletics (UKA) has announced that its flagship sponsor, Norwich Union, has extended its commitment to the sport with a new six-year agreement worth £50m.

The new programme will place more emphasis on grassroots development – investment in this area will almost treble.

UKA hopes that more than 10 million children will be involved in the various Norwich Union grassroots schemes by 2012.

One of the major changes will be the introduction of central contracts for elite athletes, enabling UKA to tightly control their performance and funding.

The announcement comes as track and field is again under scrutiny after a poor showing at the Commonwealth Games.

Other programmes which will be enabled by the funding include junior mentoring schemes with top athletes, a series of athletics festivals and support packages to develop the skills of coaches and teachers. Details: www.ukathletics.net