British skiers and snowboarders could miss Olympics as administration looms

Alpine Skiing Freestyle Skiing Post a comment

Posted: Thursday 21st January 2010 | 10:58

By Gerard Meagher and Holly Hamilton, Sportsbeat

SNOWSPORT GB will hold an emergency board meeting today as it seeks to find £200,000 in the next ten days to stay in business.

MONEY WORRIES: Snowsport GB faces a severe cash crisis on the eve of the Winter Olympics - and could go into administration

And if they fail the participation of British competitors at next month's Winter Olympics could be in major doubt.

The national governing body for alpine, freestyle, cross country skiing and snowboarding has been struggling with its finances for nearly 12 months.

The organisation receives £1.3 million in funding but admits they've been spending more than they've been receiving since the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

In total they support 20 full-time athletes at World and Europa Cup level, with an additional 15-20 supporting coaches and officials.

Former chief executive Mark Simmers left his position amid allegations of poor financial management and acting replacement, Robin Kellen, admitted late last year the situation was dire, with the federation £280,000 in the red.

Skiers, including downhiller Dougie Crawford and double national champion Ed Drake, resorted to raising their own money to fund training trips after their funding was cut.

"The funding issues have been so difficult but I do what you have to do because I want to be a competitive skier and that's what it involves at the moment," said Drake.

"British winter sports athletes are suffering because of London getting the 2012 Games as some of the funding has been taken from us and put into that instead."

Crawford added: "Last year was a crappy summer because of the funding and it's caused a lot of stress, which we could do without.

"We've missed out on a lot of skiing days and we are now all forced into doing our own thing."

If Snowsport GB, which is formally known as the British Ski and Snowboard Federation, goes into administration it would leave an expected 15-strong Olympic team - which includes snowboarding medal hope Zoe Gillings and alpine skier Chemmy Alcott - without a national association, which they require to compete under the rules of Fis, the international ski federation.

The British Olympic Association - headed by chief executive Andy Hunt and Mike Hay, the performance director for winter sports - are urgently monitoring the situation.

In November last year, during an interview with national press agency Sportsbeat, SnowsportGB chairman Olivier Jones insisted no-one would miss out on Vancouver due to funding.

“There will be no athletes who won't go to Vancouver because of the funding we've had,” he said.

"The elite athletes will always be supported. It's the most inspirational moment of their sporting lives when they go to the Olympics."