sportscotland announces £1.4M to Commonwealth Games sports

Monday 15 August 2005

During her visit to the Commonwealth Boxing Championships in Glasgow today, Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson announced nearly £1.4m from sportscotland in support of Scotland’s quest for Commonwealth Games success in 2006 and beyond.

Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson, said: "This funding will provide vital support to our top Commonwealth athletes, and along with additional medal enhancement funding it will help to maximise Scotland’s medal winning potential for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next year.

"As the countdown to London 2012 begins, we want to increase participation in sport at all levels. So I am also delighted that some of this money will be used to support the development of grassroots sport, helping to create many more generations of inspired young athletes."

"As the countdown to London 2012 begins, we want to increase participation in sport at all levels. So I am also delighted that some of this money will be used to support the development of grassroots sport, helping to create many more generations of inspired young athletes."

With only 212 days to go until the opening ceremony in Melbourne, seven sports have received their annual funding totalling over one million pounds ahead of the Games in March (15–26) 2006. Badminton, bowls, boxing, squash, table tennis, triathlon and weightlifting, will all benefit from a total investment of £1,080,300 from sportscotland which will enable all the athletes to undertake the best possible training and preparation programmes ahead of Melbourne, as well as supporting the core infrastructure of each of the sports governing bodies.

The Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland (CGCS), the national sporting body responsible for organisation of the Scottish Commonwealth Games Team preparations, has also received its annual funding from sportscotland of £110,000, whilst 11 sports including the seven listed above, have been awarded a total of £185,922 from the Lottery Fund to enhance their Commonwealth Games medal potential. This investment is aimed at ensuring Scottish athletes are able to prepare in the best way possible and maximise their chances of success in Melbourne.

The majority of sportscotland’s £162,000 award to Amateur Boxing Scotland Ltd will be Athlete Support funding, targeting national senior and junior squads’ coaching and training programmes. Athlete Support totalling £130,000 will help elite athletes focus on qualifying and preparing for the Commonwealth Games. Athlete Support is largely managed by the governing body on behalf of the athletes to cover coaching, training and competition costs.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in 2002, Craig McEwan is one of the boxers who has been identified for athlete support and is hoping for selection. The 23 year old picked up one of two boxing medals in Manchester, and will once again be looking for a medal in next year’s Games.

Amateur Boxing Scotland Ltd (ABS) will receive a further £32,000 from sportscotland to support the core infrastructure of the organisation. This award will help ABS invest in training and a competition programme for cadets in recognition of the need to focus on the grass roots development of the sport.

Donald Campbell, Administrator, ABS, said: "Amateur Boxing Scotland are delighted with the continued support from sportscotland. This will enable our elite senior boxers to continue competing at European level and help us put forward a programme of equal importance for our junior boxers."

Also looking ahead to Melbourne in March, Weightlifting Scotland has been awarded £21,750 from sportscotland, with £16,750 of the investment coming from sportscotland’s Athlete Support programme. The funding will support weightlifters in their bid to reach Commonwealth Games qualification standards.

Bronze medallist from Manchester, Tommy Yule, is one of the weightlifters identified for athlete support. Olympic-level athlete Yule won bronze in 2002 in snatch, and will be hoping to medal again next year. Another member of the Commonwealth Games training squad is Peter Kirkbride, who secured a gold medal in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo last year. sportscotland funding will help prepare the British record holder for his Commonwealth Games campaign.

Scottish Squash has been awarded £203,740 to support key areas of the sport’s annual plan, a key focus of which is the Commonwealth Games next year. £125,000 of the investment is through Athlete Support to provide a training, domestic and overseas competition budget which will be managed by the governing body.

The award of £73,740 will support the staff infrastructure of Scottish Squash to focus on increasing and developing membership levels across the country and promoting the development of grass roots squash by providing support for clubs and coaches. Key to this will be establishing links between schools and clubs, and to forge closer partnerships with local authorities.

Kim Atkinson, Chief Operating Officer, Scottish Squash, said: "Scottish Squash is delighted to have once again received an increased level of award from sportscotland, which will prove invaluable in supporting the delivery of our new and ambitious annual plan.

"This is an important year in preparing for the Commonwealth Games, and this award will further support squash at all levels, including the Scottish men’s number one, and former world number one, John White and Scottish women’s number one, and current European Bronze medallist, Pam Nimmo, both of who have impressively already met the selection standard for the Commonwealth Games."

Other beneficiaries of sportscotland funding are BADMINTONscotland who have been awarded £383,160, Scottish Bowling Association with an award of £35,000, Scottish Women’s Bowling Association, who will also receive £35,000, Table Tennis Scotland, who have been awarded £68,000 and Triathlon Scotland with an investment of £171,650.

Julia Bracewell OBE, the new Chair of sportscotland and former Commonwealth Championship medallist in fencing, said: "We are delighted to award over £1M to these seven sports which will all feature heavily in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. With such an important year ahead for all these athletes, I am sure the Athlete Support funding, complemented by the medal enhancement funding will make a significant contribution to enable them to undertake the best possible training and preparation programme ahead of Melbourne."

The award of £110,000 to the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland (CGCS), will support the core administration and strategic planning function of the Games Council, enabling them to promote, select, prepare, outfit and transport the Scottish Team ahead of the Games next year.

Louise Martin CBE, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, said: "At a key time when the athletes are trying to meet Commonwealth Games selection standards for next year’s Games in Melbourne, today’s funding announcement from sportscotland is a real boost. In particular, it will help the Games Council continue its own preparations to ensure the athletes selected for the Scottish team have the right support in place when they embark on their quest for success down under."

• The Commonwealth Boxing Championships will take place at the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena, 14 – 20 March 2005, and is supported by an award of £15,000 from sportscotland.
• The awards to the seven sports is a combination of £775,300 from the sportscotland Lottery fund, and £305,000 of sportscotland Exchequer funding from the Scottish Executive, totalling £1,080,300.
• Athlete Support, which is now largely administered through the governing body, 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. A list of the athletes benefiting from the Athlete Support Programme is detailed below.
• All athletes who receive Athlete Support will be supported by the sportscotland medical scheme.
• The XVIII Commonwealth Games will take place in Melbourne, Australia 15-26 March 2006.
• The selection period for athletes will run from 1st January – 16th September 2005. Athletes achieving the selection standard will be nominated to Commonwealth Games Council Scotland (CGCS) by their respective governing body of sport.  CGCS will then consider all nominations against the sport’s selection policy and the full team will be announced by 3 November 2005. However meeting the selection standard does not in itself guarantee a place on the team. All selections and final entries will be dependent on evidence of form and fitness from 1st November 2005. A copy of the overall team and individual sport selection policy is available from CGCS.
• Beneficiaries of the Commonwealth Games Enhancement Investment today are: Athletics (£20,700); Badminton (£10,00); Men’s Bowls (£2782); Women’s Bowls (£5,000); Boxing (£5,000); Cycling (£10,800); Gymnastics (£21,250); Shooting (£44,250); Squash (£11,640); Swimming (£13,000) and Weightlifting (£1,500)
  

IDENTIFIED ATHLETES BY GOVERNING BODIES RECEIVING ATHLETE SUPPORT AUGUST 2005

AMATEUR BOXING SCOTLAND
Eamonn Goodbrand, UDDINGSTON, G71
Darren McAdam, GLASGOW, G52
Matthew McAllister, ABERDEEN, AB24
Andrew McKelvie, DUNDEE, DD4
Gary McMillan, EDINBURGH, EH17
Aaron Black, LEVEN, KY8
Matthew Davidson, FORRES, IV36
William Gallacher, GLASGOW, G5
Kenneth Anderson, EDINBURGH, EH8
Stephen Simmons, EDINBURGH, EH11
Craig McEwan, EDINBURGH, EH14
Richard Muncie, ABERDEEN, AB21
Steve Tasker, KIRKCALDY, KY2
James Ancliff, ABERDEENSHIRE, AB30
Gary McArthur, CLYDEBANK, G81
Mitch Prince, GLASGOW, G67
Mark Hastie, MOTHERWELL, ML1
David Abel, GLENROTHES, KY7
Paul Appleby, SOUTH QUEENSFERRY, EH30
Richard Barclay, GLASGOW, G62
Frank Baxter, WISHAW, ML2
Total Athlete Support: £130,000

BADMINTONscotland
Susan Hughes, GLASGOW, G77
Yuan Wemyss, DUMFRIES, DG1
Kirsteen McEwan, RENFREWSHIRE, PA11
Craig Goddard, EAST KILBRIDE, G74
Andrew Bowman, LANARKSHIRE, ML4
Watson Briggs, RENFREW PA4
Callum Menzies, FALKIRK, FK2
Michelle Douglas, MOTHERWELL, ML1
Imogen Bankier, GLASGOW, G62
Emma Mason, EDINBURGH, EH10
Linda Sloan, GLASGOW, G46
Thomas Bethell, LIVINGSTON, EH54
Jillie Cooper, EDINBURGH EH10
Stephen McPhail, GLASGOW, G33
Kieran Merrilees, GLASGOW
Gillian Sloan, GLASGOW, G46
Fiona Maxtone, GRANGEMOUTH, FK3
Angus Gilmour, TROON, KA10
Paul van Rietvelde, EAST LOTHIAN, EH32
Martin Campbell, EDINBURGH, EH10
Catriona Lawler, CUMBERNAULD, G68
Kyle Longmuir, BOTHWELL, G71
Kirsty McGlynn, GREENOCK, PA16
Alan Nixon, TROON, KA10
Jakob van den Berg, SOUTH QUEENSFERRY, EH30
Total Athlete Support: £106,160

SCOTTISH BOWLING ASSOCIATION
Darren Burnett, ARBROATH, DD11
Kevin Nibloe, AYR,
George Sneddon, BROXBURN, EH52
David Peacock, DALKEITH, EH22
Colin Peacock, DUMFRIES, DG2
Robert Paterson, DUNS, TD11,
Gary Mackie, KIRKCALDY, KY2
Grant Logan, KIRKLISTON
Neil Speirs, LIVINGSTON
Andrew Lauder, LOCKERBIE, DG11
Colin Mitchell, RATHO
Alex Marshall, TRANENT, EH33
Paul Foster, TROON
Jim McIntyre, WISHAW, ML2
Total Athlete Support: £35,000

SCOTTISH WOMEN’S BOWLING ASSOCIATION
Dorothy Barr, AYR, KA3 7HW
Seona Black, BONNYBRIDGE, FK4 1PR.
Linda Brennan, UPHALL, EH52 5PS
Karen Dawson, DENNY, FK6 6HN
Betty Forsyth, LARKHALL, ML9 1BH
Margaret Letham, BOTHWELL, G71 8TA
Joyce Lindores, SELKIRK, TD7 4DS
Kay Moran, G12 0QH
Total Athlete Support: £35,000

Weightlifters
Steven McMichael, KILMARNOCK, KA1
Georgina Black, KILMARNOCK, KA1
Jenna O’Neill, GREENOCK, PA16
David Murray, TROON, KA10
Peter Kirkbride, KILMARNOCK, KA1
Tommy Toal, GLASGOW, G13
David Ovens, GREENOCK, PA16
Mark Middleton, EDINBURGH, EH9
Graeme Kane, KILMARNOCK, KA2
Tommy Yule, SHEFFIELD, S11

Powerlifters
James Jack, BIRMINGHAM, B31
Mike Hart, EDINBURGH, EH9
Chris Bonnar, GLASGOW, G46
Gordon Rennie, GLASGOW, G53
Tom Walker, MILNGAVIE, G62
John Maxwell, HAMILTON, ML3
Total Athlete Support: £16,750

SCOTTISH SQUASH
Greg McArthur, Aberdeen, AB51
Graham Melvin, Aberdeen, AB15
Robyn Hodgson, Aberdeen, AB32
Pam Nimmo, Edinburgh, EH10
Matthew Bain, Edinburgh, EH14
Christopher Ferguson, Edinburgh, EH16
Ian Jubb, Edinburgh, EH31
Douglas Kempsell, Edinburgh, EH16
Harry Leitch, Edinburgh, CB3
Peter Halliday, Eyemouth, TD14
Iain Tennant, Falkirk, FK9
Kirsty Craig, Glasgow, G61
Alan Clyne, Inverness, IV8
Sam Allan, Montrose, DD10
John White, Nottingham, NG12
Kevin Moran, Paisley, Renfrewshire, PA2
Claire Gray, Perth, PH1
Joanna Morgan, Pitlochry, PH16
Jamie Macaulay, Shetlands, ZE2
Total Athlete Support: £125,000

TABLE TENNIS SCOTLAND
Euan Walker, LIVINGSTON, EH54
Gavin Rumgay, PERTH, PH1
Stewart Crawford, FALKIRK, FK2
Niall Cameron, EDINBURGH, EH3
Kenny Lindsay
Craig Howieson, EDINBURGH, EH10
Total Athlete Support: £15,000

TRIATHLON SCOTLAND
Steph Forrester, ABERDEENSHIRE, AB15
Louisa Edmonson, ABERDEENSHIRE, AB15
Bella Comerford, ABERDEENSHIRE, AB15
Sara Gross, EDINBURGH, EH9
Fraser Cartmell, FORRES, IV36
Kerry Lang, GLASGOW, G12
Kevin Clark, GLASGOW, G74
Andrew Fargus, QUEENSLAND
Duncan McKerracher, RHU, G84
Alice Hector, SOMERSET, TA6
Catriona Morrison, WEST LOTHIAN, EH52
Carol Thain, WEST LOTHIAN, EH52
Total Athlete Support: £78,500