Currently Supported
SportsAid aims to support the right athletes, at the right time, with the right support. The financial challenge of trying to reach the top of their sport is one of their greatest barriers to success.
A SportsAid athlete and their family will spend over £7,000 each year in meeting the costs of their sport. Without the charity's support, many of these young prospects, typically aged 12 to 18, would face a tough decision on whether to continue training and competing. They come from more than 60 sports - the majority of which feature in the Olympics and Paralympics.
Many are already representing Great Britain at age-group level and, if they can continue doing so, have the potential to go on and inspire the nation. These up-and-coming athletes are supported by SportsAid as they have been identified by their sport's national governing body (NGB) as being ranked amongst the most talented within their discipline.
"I left a one bedroom apartment. I left my full-time job at the NHS. I moved into a shared house and started a part-time job to become an athlete.
"If I hadn't had SportsAid's support, I couldn't pay for my coach, I couldn't have paid for travel to different locations. I couldn't have paid for competitions or accommodation.
"SportsAid is such a fundamental part of me as an athlete that I could not have sacrificed so much without that assurance at the back of me. There's someone there that realises I have got potential and wants to contribute to that.
"I literally couldn't stand on the podium and be a World Champion without SportsAid."
Victoria Levitt
T44 World Champion - Para Athletics
Prospects
The prospect of competing at the highest level internationally is what motivates these young sports stars as they aim to bring medals home for their country. They show huge levels of dedication, commitment and sacrifice in pursuing their sporting ambitions - including covering 43 miles, on average, under their own steam in training every week.
The main challenges SportsAid athletes face are money and balancing the different areas of their lives. A large percentage remain in education, with no income of their own, and the charity's help relieves a certain amount of pressure on them and their families. The distribution of SportsAid awards are reliant on generating money through donations.
"Where I live, everything is far away
“Every training session is a four-hour round trip, sometimes four/five times a week.
“Without SportsAid, I’d have had to miss sessions or even choose between teams.
“Their funding has covered travel, accommodation for away games and new boots. We just wouldn’t be able to do this without that support.
“SportsAid has made it possible for me to keep improving, to get to training, to rest properly before games, to buy the right kit. It’s helping me reach the level I need to be at.”
Brooklyn Brothers
Football
"Going to the SportsAid Live event was amazing and was great to meet athletes from all different sports. In track, there aren’t many black athletes, so to be go there and see other black kids on their national teams was cool to see. It was inspiring.
“I want to be a role model, especially for young black kids. It would be great to see more trying cycling or any other Olympic or Paralympic sport to be honest.”
Kristian Larigo
Cycling