The British Ski and Snowsport Federation is to go into administration after struggling to meet its financial obligations. The BSSF struggled for some time with some athletes having funding cut in the
The British Olympic Association had previously said it had a contingency plan should BSSF’s problems get worse.
BOA chief executive Andy Hunt said it would do “everything possible to ensure that the athletes are able to compete in the Vancouver Games as members of Team GB”.
Mark Tilston, the coach of top British skier Chemmy Alcott, told BBC Sport that coaches and skiers have had to pay for hotels and lift passes at races because of Snowsport GB’s money problems, and it was having a big impact on their Olympic preparations.
“Some of these guys have dedicated more than a decade or more to the sport and they find themselves not able to prepare properly for the Olympics. It’s a terrible situation,” he said.
Last August, a refinancing package was agreed to service BSSF’s £600,000 debt, but since then two funding streams have been deferred and a £30,000 overdraft facility has been withdrawn by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
SnowsportGB, an
It then channels the money into the skiers’ training programmes.
The International Olympic Committee has rules which allow for athletes to compete in the Games even if a sport does not have a national federation.
The IOC ruling states: “Should there be no national federation for a particular sport in a country which has a recognised National Olympic Committee the latter may enter competitors individually in such sport in the Olympic Games subject to the approval of the IOC executive board and the international federation governing such sport.”
Loading ...
