Snow brings investment for Scottish snowsport

Wednesday 11 February 2009

With the nation cloaked in the white stuff, there’s no better time for sportscotland to announce an annual investment of over £200,000 to SNOWSPORT SCOTLAND to develop the sport and support emerging talent.

Announcing the investment Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland said: “The snow falling on Scotland this week provides a great reminder of the fantastic natural resources we have at our disposal for anyone who is interested in taking up snowsport, in all its forms.

“Getting out there and giving it a go could lead to a lifetime of enjoyment or even international success. Our investment of £212,500 is targeted at supporting promising athletes to realise their potential and I’m delighted to see young Nordic skiers Andrew Musgrave and Andrew Young plus Alpine downhill specialist Dougie Crawford doing just that. I wish all our snowsport athletes the best of luck for the season.”

Two of Scotland’s rising stars were in action at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in France recently. Andrew Musgrave from Insch in Aberdeenshire finished 12th in the pursuit while his teammate, 16 year old Andrew Young from Huntly recorded a top 40 finish in the sprint. Both skiers are in their first year of World Cup races and have shown a great deal of promise. Musgrave came second in the U19 event in Gäsburennet in Norway and Young took the U17 title at the same event and is currently ranked number one in the world for his age group.

Dougie Crawford has broken into World Cup Skiing on the Alpine circuit with a bang. Dougie, from Bearsden, came 21st in his first ever senior world championships race, the downhill, at Val d’Isere earlier this week.

The investment was welcomed by Jane Harvey, Chief Executive of SNOWSPORT SCOTLAND: “The results we are now seeing from athletes receiving funding from sportscotland indicate that the investment has been worthwhile. Even more encouraging is the superb performances being recorded by relatively inexperienced athletes. With continued support, I am certain we will be hearing these names again and again in the coming years.”

Five Scots have also been named in the British team for the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Poland next week. They are Joe Morrison (Aberdeen), Alistair Strang (Glasgow), Alexandra Tilley (Banchory), Charlotte Guest (Perth) and Christy McKinnon (Troon).

• In 2007/08 sportscotland invested over £11.5 million in 59 sports governing bodies.
• The £212,500 investment in SNOWSPORT SCOTLAND is made up of £142,500 of sportscotland funding from the Scottish Government and £70,000 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund.