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Friday, 5 June 2009
As some of Scotland’s top paddlers returned from the weekend’s European slalom action sportscotland today announced £476,600 of investment in the Scottish Canoe Association (SCA) to support the development of the sport in Scotland and in turn the next generation of top Scottish paddlers.
Three Scots were in action as part of the British team at the European Canoe Slalom Championships in Nottingham at the weekend including Olympic silver medalists David Florence and Campbell Walsh. The Scots claimed three medals with Campbell Walsh part of the gold medal winning K1 team, David Florence and Tim Baillie part of the C2 team who took silver and Tim Baillie adding a bronze to his haul in the C2 with partner Etienne Stott. For the Scottish Canoe Association now, however, the focus in the Olympic disciplines of slalom and sprint is on nurturing a new stream of paddlers to keep Scotland on top.
Louise Martin CBE, Chair, sportscotland said: “Canoeing is a sport that consistently delivers for Scotland at the highest level. The £476,600 investment from sportscotland will allow the Scottish Canoe Association to continue that impressive trend through development initiatives like the new regional academies.
“The aim of the academy network is to provide a clear pathway for paddlers from participation to performance, ensuring that Scotland remains well represented in the sport. We have some fantastic role models to provide inspiration for aspiring athletes and I would like to congratulate Tim, Campbell, David and their team mates on their success in Nottingham at the weekend.”
The Scottish Canoe Association received increased funding from sportscotland this year to establish a regional academy network for sprint and slalom canoeing. The four regional centres will be aligned to the Area Institute of Sport regions: West of Scotland, East of Scotland, Central and Tayside & Fife. The aim of the network is to encourage more school age children to take up the two Olympic canoeing disciplines and to provide them with the support they need to stay in the sport and develop their potential.
Part of the sportscotland investment will support the development and implementation of revised coaching awards which will benefit grass roots participants across Scotland, as well as those already on specific performance pathways.
Sports Minister Shona Robison said: ”Congratulations to our Scottish canoeists. Their impressive achievements continue to be a source of pride and inspiration. It is also encouraging to see plans in place to introduce more young people to canoeing. This Government is committed to increasing participation in physical activity and I hope more people will experience and enjoy the benefits of this exhilarating sport.”
Stuart Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Canoe Association welcomed the investment: “This sportscotland investment will allow the SCA to further assist paddlers in Scotland – whether they are wishing to improve their standard of coaching or their performance on the water.”