UK Sport caused outrage yesterday by sticking to its decision to withdraw all funding from Olympic sports basketball, synchronised swimming and women's water polo and Paralympic goalball, visually-impaired football and wheelchair fencing teams.

The cuts are a harsh blow to women's sports in particular and the body was urged to treat team sports differently in its funding systems.

UK Sport insists its methods work as evidenced by huge medal hauls in London and Sochi.

But it did grant a slight reprieve to women's weightlifting, reinstating £894,000 of funding after it presented a "compelling new strategy" to challenge for medals at Tokyo 2020.

Badminton was also awarded an extra £250,000.

UK Sport chairman Rod Carr admitted that the decisions on zero funding, confirming the original announcement last month, would be unpopular in some quarters.

He said: "I accept that by its very nature 'No Compromise' is not universally popular but there's one thing we are sure of - it works."

British Swimming called on Sports Minister Helen Grant to intervene and said it would consider a formal appeal to the independent Sports Resolutions UK body.

"This is a very dark and sad day for British sport - especially for women's sport," said chief executive David Sparkes.

"How can an elite programme such as synchro, which has long been held by UK Sport as a model of world-class athlete development and leadership, that has achieved all of its performance indicators since it first received funding, have its funding removed just 12 months after it was enhanced?

"On behalf of water polo, synchro and other Olympic sports that face the real possibility of dying out as a result of today's announcement, we call on the sports minister to show leadership in this area by looking at the entire funding system for elite sport."

British Basketball was also considering a formal appeal yesterday.

Performance chairman Roger Moreland said: "Winning medals now and in the future should be celebrated, but we need to consider its impact.

"Basketball has a grass-roots base bigger than any other British Olympic team sport. A funding system with nearly £350 million available for elite sport cannot be working to the best of its ability if it can leave sports like basketball behind."

UK Sport said basketball already received £10.5m from Sport England for its grass-roots programmes and that keeping its funding would hit medal prospects in other sports.