SportsAid is very happy to announce today that from 2014 the charity will be offering financial support to young athletes on British Bobsleigh's talent development programme.
It takes the number of sports SportsAid supports to 66 ... including five winter disciplines: short-track speed-skating, skeleton, skiing/snowboarding, disability snowsport and now bobsleigh.
“From January we will be asking our supporters to help us fund SportsAid Awards for 12 of British Bobsleigh's development athletes,” explained SportsAid's Awards Manager Laura Eddie. “They will be between the ages of 16 and 19 and the first group we support, funding permitting, are likely to be aiming for the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer in 2016, which is very exciting.”
This means the athletes' support from SportsAid should come just before they join British Bobsleigh's junior squad, known as the Futures programme.
British Bobsleigh Performance Director Gary Anderson said, “I am delighted that we now have a pathway for our young athletes in partnership with SportsAid. In recent years British Bobsleigh has been very successful at youth and junior level with medals at the Youth Olympic Games and Junior World Championships, and this programme of support will now allow our young athletes to maintain a strong balance with their education and sporting careers. It is a natural pathway now from our junior squads through to the senior ranks with the appropriate levels of support in place. We are really proud to partner with SportsAid for the benefit of our talented young athletes.”