sportscotland announce major funding for scottish disability sport

Tuesday 28 June 2005

With the countdown to the Winter Paralympic Games well underway, sportscotland has announced an annual award totalling £195,000 to Scottish Disability Sport (SDS).

The backing from sportscotland will support key areas of SDS, helping the continued development of sporting opportunities for people with a disability at both grass roots and elite level.

Funding totalling £75,000 will support the high performance coaching programmes for six sports – swimming, athletics, wheelchair curling, boccia, bowls and football. sportscotland’s award will continue the support for elite athletes in their training, weekend coaching camps and competition programmes.

The announcement comes as a 16 strong Scottish team head to the CP-ISRA World Championships this week. Hero from the 2004 Paralympic Games Jim Anderson will be competing in the event in Connecticut, USA (2 – 11 July). Anderson, from West Lothian was awarded an MBE last year after clinching four gold medals in Athens.

"In the run-up to the Winter Paralympic Games I’m delighted that this cash-boost for Scottish Disability Sport will help our athletes prepare to challenge for medals."

Following a hugely successful Paralympics Games last year, where Team GB finished second in the overall medal table behind China, hopes are high of a good performance at the Winter Paralympic Games in Turin in March.

sportscotland’s investment will be particularly crucial for Scotland’s wheelchair curlers, in their bid to make the rostrum in Turin where curling will be a medal sport for the first time. The Scots successfully defended their world crown in January this year, and will be hoping to go one better as part of Team GB, and bring a Paralympic Gold Medal back to Britain. Scots Ken Dickson, Louise Dodd, Frank Duffy, Tom Killin, Angie Malone, Michael McCreadie and Jim Sellar have all been named in the GB squad for the Games.

SDS is the co-ordinating and governing body of disability sport in Scotland covering a wide number of sports for people with various disabilities. They have produced outstanding results in recent years, including 15 medals – eight of which were gold - in Athens 2004. Key to the continued delivery of performance plans will be through the appointment of a performance development officer, who will support SDS co-ordinators in the planning, delivery and administration of each of the performance plans. The officer, funded through £30,000 from sportscotland, will focus on the identification of talent and development of athlete player pathways.

The sportscotland award will also support the infrastructure of SDS, focusing on the important work of volunteers, and their key role in the future development of disability sport. In the past five years, the volunteer structure has expanded massively, and this growth has enabled five new sports (wheelchair curling, shinty, goalball, wheelchair rugby and golf) to be introduced. sportscotland funding is crucial in helping SDS increase the range of sports and improve the quality of sporting experience available to athletes with a disability.

Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson said: "This funding, through sportscotland, illustrates the Executive’s commitment to making available sporting opportunities for people with disabilities in this country.

"In the run-up to the Winter Paralympic Games I’m delighted that this cash-boost for Scottish Disability Sport will help our athletes prepare to challenge for medals."

Gavin Macleod, Chief Executive Officer, SDS, said: "sportscotland is a key partner for SDS, and the announcement of this funding will enable us to improve and increase the opportunities for people with disabilities in Scotland to become involved in sport and physical activity. The support for the sport specific performance plans for our strand one sports will undoubtedly improve performances and enhance the valuable work currently being carried out by our volunteer co-ordinators across the country".

Alastair Dempster, Chairman, sportscotland said: "sportscotland is committed to developing and supporting our athletes performing at elite level to reach their full potential and achieve on the world stage. I am sure the funding through Athlete Support to Scottish Disability Sport will make a significant contribution to this aim.

"We believe in a Scotland where everyone can participate in sport, and the award of £195,000 will play a vital role in widening the sporting opportunities available to people with a disability in this country."

• The award to Scottish Disability Sport is a combination of £110,000 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund, and £85,000 of sportscotland Exchequer funding from the Scottish Executive.
• Integrated investment aims to streamline sportscotland support by combining Lottery and Exchequer funding. This enables governing bodies of sport to submit one development or business plan to be considered across all three sportscotland visions (Achieving Excellence, Developing Potential and Widening Opportunities) at the same time.
• Athlete Support is a funding programme which merges and replaces the former Junior Groups and Talented Athlete programmes and provides a seamless, integrated pathway for the development of emerging talent. It supports the training and preparation programmes for elite athletes who have demonstrated the potential to win medals or equivalent, in significant international competitions and events such as the Commonwealth Games.
• Athletes from swimming, athletics, boccia, bowling and football will benefit from funding from Athlete Support through a centralised programme. A list of the athletes benefiting from Athlete Support individually is detailed below. Athlete Support is now largely administered through the governing body.
• All athletes who receive Athlete Support will be supported by the sportscotland medical scheme.
• The IX Paralympic Winter Games will take place 10 – 19 March 2006 at Turin, Italy. The Wheelchair Curling event will run from 12 – 18 March 2006.

Identified athletes by governing body receiving Athlete Support June 2005

• Alan Stuart, GLASGOW, G21
• Kenny Herriott, ABERDEEN, AB24
• Laura Kinder, RENFREWSHIRE, PA6
  

Swimming

• Angela McCowan, IRVINE, KA12
• Rebecca Lee, DALGETY BAY, KY11