Channel 4 must be cock-a-hoop. There’s nothing like a bit of controversy to generate viewer interest ahead of a new series and the latest outing of The Jump is providing it with bells on.

For the uninitiated, the programme features sportspeople, actors and other celebs taking a crack at winter sports, specifically risky winter sports such as ski jumping.

It has made a name for itself as one of the most dangerous reality shows in TV history, with a number of serious injuries last year (former gymnast Beth Tweddle had to have two vertebrae fused as a result of one of them).

The controversy ahead of this year’s outing has been generated because of the participation of active Olympians and Paralympians who benefit from National Lottery Funding.

They include Jade Jones, the double Taekwondo gold medallist, and Kadeena Cox, the history-making Paralympian who won medals in both athletics and in cycling in Rio, making her the first British para-athlete to win medals in two sports in more than 30 years.

GB Taekwondo was first to express its unhappiness, growling about having “reservations” over Jones’s participation and saying it had held “extensive talks” with her about the obvious risks.

Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Show all 74 1 /74 Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Andy Murray celebrates his victory over Kai Nishikori to reach the men's Olympic final. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Jessica Ennis-Hill continues her bid for gold in heptathlon. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Usain Bolt breezed through his 100m heat. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Team GB took silver in the women's eight. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight The men's eight gold took Great Britain top of the rowing medal table. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Britain's Jazz Carlin secured her second silver of the Games in the women's 800m freestyle, as American Katie Ledecky surged to her fourth Rio gold. 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The British quartet - Spencer Wilton, Fiona Bigwood, Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin - were beaten into second by 3.334 points. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six American Simone Manuel became the first black female swimmer to win an Olympic title as she shared the women's 100m freestyle gold with Canada's Penny Oleksiak, 16, after a dead heat. Getty Images Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Swimming legend Michael Phelps demolished the field in the 200m individual medley to claim his 22nd Olympic gold. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Simone Biles takes gold in the Women’s individual all-around artistic gymnastics. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Fiji's Vatemo Ravouvou breaks through to score during the Men's Rugby Sevens Gold medal final match against Great Britain. Team GB settled for silver as Fiji romped to gold. David Rogers/Getty Images Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Callum Skinner, Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes of Great Britain celebrate after winning gold in the men's team sprint. AFP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Double act David Florence and Richard Hounslow won their second joint Olympic silver in the canoeing slalom. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Victoria Thornley and Katherine Grainger show off their silver medals after the women's double sculls final Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Five Max Whitlock poses with his bronze medal Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Five Joe Clarke reacts to winning Britain's second gold of thee Games Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Five Jack Laugher and Chris Mears celebrate with their gold medals Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Four David Florence suffered heartbreak in the canoe single C1 men's semi-final Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Four Andy Murray celebrates his straight sets victory against Juan Monaco Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Lilly King shows off her gold medal as Yulia Efimova parades her silver AFP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Russia's Yulia Efimova (left) looks on as the US's Lilly King (right) celebrates winning the Women's 100m Breaststroke Final earlier this morning Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - 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in pictures Day Three Heather Watson leaves the court yesterday after losing her second round match against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Carlin proudly shows off her silver medal Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Carlin reacts after learning that she has won the silver medal Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Peaty shows off his gold medal with pride Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Adam Peaty celebrates his gold Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Andy Murray and Jamie Murray were knocked out of the men's doubles by Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa AFP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Venus and Serena Williams suffered their first ever Olympic defeat playing together Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Richard Kruse battling the Russian Timur Safin GETTY Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Lizzie Armitstead finished fifth in the women's road race PA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Anna van der Breggen celebrates winning gold in the women's road race Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Annemiek van Vleuten suffered a horrific accident in the women's road race Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two The women's road race passes along the beach in Rio de Janeiro Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Andy Murray beat Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-2 to win his men's singles first round match Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Serena Williams is through to the second round of the women's singles after defeating Daria Gavrilova Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Gold medal winner, Hoang Xuan Vinh of Vietnam, center, silver medal winner, Felipe Almeida Wu of Brazil, left, and bronze medalist Pang Wei of China, at the victory ceremony for the men's 10-meter air pistol event AP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Rowing was cancelled on day two over fears of sinking and capsizing due to strong winds Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Yusra Mardini has won her heat of the Women's 100m Butterfly but she will not be able to go forward to the semi-final Getty Images Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Britain's James Guy chops through the water Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Kantinka Hosszu of Hungary set a new world record in winning gold in the Women's 100m Individual Medley final Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Samir Ait Said receiving medical help after suffering a badly broken leg Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Yusra Mardini leads the race in the 100m Butterfly heat at Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio EPA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Natasha Hunt scored two tries to inspire Britain to victory against Brazil Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Joanne Watmore scored Britain's first try in Olympic rugby sevens history Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Adam Peaty celebrates after breaking the 100m breaststroke world record Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Adam Peaty broke his own world record in the 100m breaststroke heats and is favourite to win gold on Sunday Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Adam Peaty broke his own world record in the 100m breaststroke heats Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Chris Froome speaks with a bruised Geraint Thomas after the men's road race PA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Greg van Avermaet celebrates winning gold in the men's road race Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Rafal Majka was caught with just two kilometres to go Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Greg van Avermaet won a sprint finish to clinch Olympic road race gold EPA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One A bullet is marked by Brazilian police in the equestrian media centre Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One The peloton make their way along the beach during the road race Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Chris Froome leads away the men's road race along with the rest of Team GB Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One The field make their way along the opening stages of the road race Eric Gaillard/Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - 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But there wasn’t a lot it could do beyond that. Jones is its star, and her medal winning brings with it funding that the sport needs. She has also publicly mused about a move to mixed martial arts, not something Taekwondo would like to see happening, at least not until she has picked up another medal in 2020.

Cox is also a star, but she’s a para-athlete – which makes her a second-class citizen. It also means she doesn’t have the option of leaving for another sport. Her funding is also in the gift of British Athletics, which has several stars. Surprise, surprise, it has taken the money away, at least while Cox is appearing on the show, with the support of British Cycling.

The spoilsports in this case are clearly the governing bodies, and shame on them for the actions they have taken, particularly in the case of Cox.

National Lottery funding provides athletes with the opportunity to become full-time pros and is therefore not to be sniffed at. But it is hardly generous. Athlete Performance Awards, to help with living expenses, top out at £28,000 for the very best – those winning medals at Olympics or world championships (and they have to be gold medals for para-athletes like Cox).

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For being the very best at what they do (something few of us will ever be able to say), for bringing home medals, and for doing their “inspire a generation” bit, the athletes concerned get tuppence ha’penny and are expected to bow and scrape and tip their forelocks to their governing bodies to avoid having it withdrawn.

To put it in context, that maximum grant is a shade under the average British wage. The average wage for a Premiership footballer, meanwhile, is about £2.5m, and some decidedly mediocre players make quite a bit more.

Sports do not operate on a level playing field, or anything like it. If you’re male and get moderately good at the right one, you can make riches beyond the dreams of avarice. If you’re female, and especially if you have a disability, not so much.

The opportunity to make serious money simply isn’t available to female sportspeople who are not named Jessica Ennis, unless they happen to be world-class tennis players.

It is never available to para-athletes, male or female. Their only option is to work like demons and hope they can perhaps get into coaching, commentating or sports administration to make a living when their inevitably short careers are over.

So along comes The Jump with the offer of a TV fee. What would you do in that situation?

It is significant that the able-bodied male sports personalities featuring in this year’s season are mostly finished with active competition. They include former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler, former rugby players Gareth Thomas and Jason Robinson, and Sir Bradley Wiggins, fresh from having announced his retirement from cycling. These people have made their money and the show represents for them the chance to take on a fun new challenge, and to make a few quid while doing it.

There is an active male Olympian, gymnast Louis Smith, who has a Strictly win to his credit. But he could be considered as something of a special case. He’s in need of, shall we say, a little image rehabilitation having just served a two-month suspension for appearing to mock the way Muslims pray in a video that made its way on to the internet. We’ve yet to hear from UK Gymnastics on his participation.

When it comes to the two women, however, the fees they will be paid could be quite important and their sports should butt out. Both Jones and Cox have done what they have been asked to do. By winning medals, they’ve helped their respective sports maintain their funding from UK Sport, and also helped to keep coaches, administrators, physios, nutritionists, and the rest, in jobs. Jobs which probably pay more than they make.

As long as they keep up with their fitness and training regimens, and turn up to compete when they are required to do so (no one has suggested this might happen) then they should be able to do what they want. If they get injured, preventing that, that’s another issue. But they haven’t.

Your employer doesn’t stop you in doing risky things in your own time. I know mine doesn’t. And hey, sick pay! I know the athletes aren’t technically employees, but the principle holds.

Sure, The Jump represents a risk. I can understand why their sports might have misgivings about it, notwithstanding the fact that we are told that there has been a review of safety.

Thing is, however, either Cox or Jones could injure themselves in training tomorrow. Or just by walking their dogs.