Sportscotland sets aside £192k athlete fund for 2018 Commonwealth and Winter Olympic Games

Thirty-two Scottish athletes aiming to win medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang will receive sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards grants.

The sports quango has set aside £192,000 (US$271,576, €248,398) for the first year of the two-year investment, with the money coming from its National Lottery fund and additional investment from the Scottish government. The 32 athletes, from eight sports, will use the funds for additional training support, competition and living expenses.

Individual beneficiaries of the awards include swimming’s Cameron Brodie, Steph Twell in athletics, Alex Marshall in lawn bowls and Stephanie Kernachan – the first female boxer to win a GB title.

“Sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards are designed to help athletes who are in the development stage of their high performance career and need additional support to help them train and compete at the right level as they approach competition,” said sportscotland director of high performance Mike Whittingham.

“They help ensure that Scottish athletes can focus and concentrate on their ideal training, recovery, and injury prevention strategies. The smallest performance increment can make all the difference when competing at Commonwealth or Olympic level and that requires meticulous preparation and support.”

Since the Athlete Personal Award initiative was introduced just before the London 2012 Olympics, sportscotland has invested £1.5m (US$2.1m, €1.9m) supporting more than 100 high performance athletes. It contributed to Scottish athletes winning 30 medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games will take place in Australia’s Gold Coast.