Commonwealth Games sports receive sportscotland funding
Thursday 1 June 2006
Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson today announced annual sportscotland funding totalling £365,187 to Scottish Cycling, Weightlifting Scotland and the Scottish Target Shooting Federation.
The announcement comes just two months after the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games in which Scottish cyclists, weightlifters and shooters medalled in gold, silver and bronze positions.
Ms Ferguson said: "Scotland's success at this year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne was awe inspiring - our athletes made Scotland proud. We may be a small country but we are competing and succeeding at the top level and always have ambitions to win big. This funding will help to ensure that Scotland's athletes of the future have the support they need to keep Scotland at the top."
Funding totalling £262,522 to Scottish Cycling, of which £195,000 is from the sportscotland Lottery fund, will go towards coaching across Scotland, club development and volunteering, player improvement and sport participation, organisational development of the governing body, and athletes and coaches involved in the Athlete Support programme.
The governing body has just appointed Jackie Meekison as its new director of operations. Meekison, who was formerly President of the voluntary board at Triathlon Scotland, started her position on 1 May.
Fourteen cyclists qualified for the 2006 Scottish Commonwealth Games Team. Craig MacLean, Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar won gold in the team sprint, while Edgar took home silver in the men's sprint and bronze in the men's Keirin. Hoy claimed bronze in the 1km time trial; Kate Cullen bronze in the 25km points race - the first Scottish female to medal on the track in cycling - and James McCallum bronze in the 20km scratch race. Hoy went on to win the 1km time trial, his third gold in this event, at the World Track Cycling Championships in Bordeaux on 14 April, while MacLean became the first Briton in 50 years to win a medal in the men's sprint when he won silver. His second silver in Bordeaux came with the GB sprint team's second placing.
Scottish Cycling's performance plan has been revised and has clear targets identified to reflect the focus on 2012. This year £147,522 from sportscotland's medal success funding will be invested in Athlete Support (for athletes outside the UK World Class Performance Programme), performance staffing and the Institute Network, to cover competition and training costs for all Olympic disciplines, co-ordinate and manage the implementation of the new plan, deliver coaching to elite athletes and cover coaching courses.
Other goals for 2006 are to run courses and deploy coaches to deliver quality instruction at a regional level, implement new child protection policies and invest in club development to increase membership. Ongoing development of a cycling regional academy structure has assisted with the set-up of the 'Go Ride Clubs' which link into after-school clubs and helps provide a natural performance pathway, as well as develop academy-led racing programmes. Plans for this year are to create regional academies in Grampian, the Highlands and Central Scotland. Additional investment, as part of a pilot project, for a volunteer development officer, is being offered to cycling. The post has been created to deliver a volunteering strategy and recruit up to 250 volunteers within the sport by 2008.
Jackie Meekison, Director of Operations, Scottish Cycling, said: "This is a challenging but extremely exciting time for Scottish Cycling. The team will be working hard to deliver an all-encompassing programme of performance and development. The delivery of our targets will aim to engage athletes, members, clubs, regional centres, event organisers and our key partners in the process."
The Scottish Target Shooting Federation (STSF) has received £80,000 from sportscotland. The investment, of which £65,000 is sportscotland Lottery funding, will go towards coaching courses and conferences, player improvement to support the sub-elite training squad programme, organisational development of the governing body, and the medal success strategy, including Athlete Support.
The purpose of the medal success funding is to maintain a strong Scottish presence on Great Britain's international teams, provide sports science support and training and competition preparation, and improve upon European and World placings.
Athlete Support funded shooters Susan Jackson and Sheena Sharp won gold at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games in the women's 50m prone rifle (pairs), and Sharp went on to a double gold in the women's 50m rifle prone (individual). Martin Sinclair and Neil Stirton took home silver in the men's 50m prone (pairs).
The Scottish Target Shooting Federation is the representative body for the four shooting associations in Scotland: the Scottish Clay Target Association, the Scottish Smallbore Rifle Association, the Scottish Rifle Association and the Scottish Pistol Association.
Weightlifting Scotland has received £22,665 in sportscotland funding. The investment, of which £17,800 is Lottery funding, will go towards player improvement, medal success, and the organisational development of the governing body, now in year one of a five-year strategic plan.
The purpose of the player improvement funding is to create junior development squads, run squad sessions and purchase equipment, while the £12,800 in medal success funding, including Athlete Support, will help run the national training programme and the 2006/07 competition calendar.
Tommy Yule, who won bronze in the men's 94kg at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, and Peter Kirkbride, who placed sixth in the 85kg category, were both Athlete Support funded.
Julia Bracewell, Chair, sportscotland, said: "sportscotland is delighted to announce awards totalling £365,187 to Scottish Cycling, Weightlifting Scotland and the Scottish Target Shooting Federation. We congratulate all of the athletes who both participated in and medalled at the Commonwealth Games. Their performances inspired many in Scotland and will encourage people of all ages to both participate in sport and work towards improving their own performance, thereby producing future sporting stars.
"Congratulations also go to Jackie Meekison on her appointment as Director of Operations at Scottish Cycling. We wish her every success in this new position."
-Ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS
- A list of the athletes benefiting from Athlete Support funding is listed below. The programme, now largely administered through the governing body, supports the training and preparation of elite athletes who have demonstrated the potential to win medals or equivalent, in significant international competitions.
- All athletes who receive Athlete Support are supported by the sportscotland medical scheme.
For further information, contact
Marney Carmichael, Press Officer, sportscotland
Tel: 0131 472 3341
IDENTIFIED ATHLETES RECEIVING ATHLETE SUPPORT FUNDING:
Scottish Cycling
James Ochterlony, ARBROATH, DD11
Katrina Hair, BARRHEAD, G78
Marco Librizzi, BURNTISLAND
Gareth Montgomerie, CASTLE DOUGLAS
Shane Charlton, CUPAR, KY15
Stuart Thomson, DOLLAR
Robert Wardell, DUNFERMLINE, KY12
Eileen Roe, DUNFERMLINE
Ruth McGavigan, EDINBURGH, EH11
Kate Cullen, EDINBURGH, EH6
Chris Ball, EDINBURGH
Evan Oliphant, EDINBURGH
James McCallum, EDINBURGH
Duncan Urquhart, FARNBOROUGH
Graeme Laughton, FORRES
Louise Wall, FORRES
Peter Ettles, FORRES
Callum Shiels, GALASHIELS
David Young, GALASHIELS
Kevin Barclay, GLENROTHES, KY6
Tony Reidy, GLENROTHES
Alex Coutts, GOREBRIDGE
Ross Yates, KILLEARN
Ross Creber, KIRKLISTON
Gary Hand, LIVINGSTON
Stuart McManus, MILANGAVIE, G62
Andrew Whitehall, MILNGAVIE
Ben Cathro, OBAN
Iain Legg, PETERSFIELD
Sean Michael Newington, St BOSWELLS, TD6
David Smith, THURSO
Scottish Target Shooting Federation
Susan Jackson, EDINBURGH
Sheena Sharp, HUNTLY
Neil Stirton, ABERDEEN
Martin Sinclair, ESKBANK
Heather Rudd, ABERDEEN
Emma Cole-Hamilton, TURRIFF
Robin Law, ALLOA
Graham Rudd, EDINBURGH
Shona Marshall, ALFORD
Jonathan Reid, TARBERT
Ossie McLean, GLASGOW
Stewart Cumming, BROXBURN
Mike Thomson, ELLON
Ian Marsden, PERTH
Lindsay Peden, MIDDLESEX
Ian Shaw, EPSOM
David Lewis, REAWICK
Alan Ritchie, JOHNSTONE
Weightlifting Scotland
Gareth Blakely, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Liam Ross, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Chris Jackson, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Derek Bell, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Jordan McCartney, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Alistair Scott, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Scott Dyllon, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Kiernan Frew, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Iain Despard, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Brett Smith, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Paul Reid, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Nicky Hamilton, NORTH AYRSHIRE
Gafar Zuefqar, GLASGOW