16 for 2016
30 October 2009: Excitement is rising in the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games as Saturday marks 1,000 days to go to the opening ceremony. But as the nation looks forward to 2012, SportsAid also has its eye on 2016 and the legacy of talented athletes that are setting their sights on Olympic glory in Games to come.
SportsAid and Sport England have today named 16 young athletes tipped to make their mark at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The ‘16 for 2016’ are all supported by SportsAid, a charity which gives financial assistance to talented youngsters aged 12 to 18, to help them meet the costs of pursuing their sporting dreams.
The rising stars were named as Sport England announced that it would be investing over half a million pounds of Government funding in SportsAid over the next two years.
Over the past year, SportsAid has distributed awards worth more than £1,348,600 to some 1,979 young sports stars who are starting their journey in performance sport but not yet eligible for the Lottery funding awarded to elite athletes.
Sport England’s support will help SportsAid continue its work in raising more money from individuals, events and particularly commercial organisations to provide greater support to more athletes in the coming years.
Guided by SportsAid criteria, award recipients are selected by their sport’s national governing body in conjunction with the sport’s performance staff. They join a star-studded list of athletes who have benefitted from SportsAid’s help over its 33 year history, including Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Victoria Pendleton, Denise Lewis and the Government’s new 2012 Sports Champion, Sir Steve Redgrave.
Sir Steve said; “Sport England’s funding means more young people can look forward to the same support from SportsAid that helped me when I was at the start of my career. We need to give these youngsters all the help we can to help them progress onto elite programmes and fulfil their potential.”
The Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, said: “We have to give young sporting talent the best possible chance to get to the highest level. London 2012 is on the horizon, but we also need to look beyond that and identify young British athletes who could succeed in Rio in 2016. SportsAid provides vital financial assistance to these potential stars of the future. It has helped some of our greatest sporting heroes, like Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, get on the right track early on in their careers. Now this Government investment will help more talented young people go for gold.”
Sport England’s support for SportsAid is part of its ‘excel’ strategic outcome, which is focused on supporting emerging talent. Over four years, Sport England is investing more than £100 million in 35 national governing bodies to help them develop programmes and pathways that will grow their talent pool and help gifted performers move on to elite programmes. Each of the sport bodies has agreed specific targets with Sport England that reflect the challenges and opportunities facing their sport.
Sport England’s Director of Sport, Lisa O’Keefe, said: “In securing a lasting Olympic and Paralympic legacy – and more medals – we need to be looking not just to 2012, but to 2016 and beyond. The more people that take up sport, the more talented individuals we will unearth – and the more we do to nurture these young sports men and women, the more success we can look forward to celebrating.
“For many talented youngsters, a SportsAid award brings both the first external recognition of their sporting potential and vital financial support which can help them fulfil that potential.”
SportsAid’s Chief Executive, Tim Lawler, said: “The athletes we support spend, on average, more than £5,000* per year on their sport - perhaps a modest calculation. SportsAid aims not only to relieve some of the pressure that comes with financing their training and competition costs but also to recognise their achievements.
“Each athlete that we support has a truly inspirational story, one that should be shared. The 16 athletes we’ve tipped for success are shining examples of this. The sheer determination, commitment and talent shown by them is outstanding and SportsAid is glad to tell their story and play its part in helping them on their way.”
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About us
SportsAid, previously known as SportsAid Foundation (SAF), was founded in 1976. Its principal function was to raise funds from the private sector to provide financial assistance to Britain's amateur sportsmen and women. The aim was to help them prepare for competitions against better-funded, overseas athletes.
