Olympic medal hopes on the slide

Published on Tuesday 11 August 2009 22:40

BRITAIN'S hopes of Olympic glory on the piste have been thrown into doubt as skiing's governing body finds itself mired in financial crisis, The Scotsman has learned.

Snowsport GB is in turmoil, with devastating consequences for UK athletes preparing for next year's Winter Olympics.

Leading figures in the sport claim the organisation is insolvent and has had to make cuts.

Last night it emerged its coaches had not been paid and so athletes had not started crucial training for Vancouver in February. The body has made a number of staff redundant in coaching and administration.

Critics fear UK medal hopes could be jeopardised as some athletes are forced to make their own arrangements and pay for intensive training abroad.

Lesley Beck, a former Olympic skier, called the situation disastrous and said British athletes were "playing catch-up" while competitors around the world would be properly prepared.

"Other teams have had a number of weeks on skis and testing equipment. We have missed important training.

"It's hard to recover in a really competitive arena. This is a failure by Snowsport GB and they have let the athletes down."

Based in Edinburgh, Snowsport GB has been beset by problems, losing two chief executives in five years.

"It has been badly managed," said a source. "We have people coming in from firms that have no idea about the sport. They've failed to get sponsorship and their administrative skills have not been up to the task."

A source within the sport said: "Coaches have not been paid. This is the period when skiers would go to start summer training in the Alps or Argentina. This is severely compromising their training. They may not reach the Olympics because of this."

A number of athletes have now set up their own training programmes – paying their own expenses to train outside the UK. It is understood Olympic hopeful Noel Baxter has gone to New Zealand and is paying for his own coaching in the hope of getting the best possible preparation before the Winter Olympics. Fellow skier Andy Noble is said to be training in Switzerland under similar circumstances.

Robin Kellen, interim chief executive of Snowsport GB, insisted yesterday a package had been put in place to allow the agency to function for the next four years. But he conceded coaching had been delayed.

He said: "We are not bankrupt. Coaching staff have not been paid their full wages, but we anticipate the balance will be paid in the next two weeks.

"Due to the financial problems we have had we haven't been able to start the training programme.

"It has been delayed, but coaching programmes will start this week and we anticipate the full training programmes will be delivered until the Winter Olympics and beyond."

Mr Kellen refused to be drawn on who was behind the rescue, but it is understood it involves a range of individual investors and bodies within the skiing community.

ON BOARD

SNOWSPORT GB has its roots in the National Ski Federation of Great Britain, founded in 1964 to manage the country's international competitive skiing.

During the mid-1990s, the renamed British Ski Federation added snowboarding to its title before adopting Snowsport in 2002. The primary role of Snowsport GB is the selection, training and management of British teams in the disciplines of Alpine, freestyle, Nordic Telemark and speed skiing, as well as snowboarding.

The body is the only UK representative of the International Ski Federation, which sets the rules for competitions and organises World Cup and World Championship events.

Snowsport GB also works with the British Olympic Association to set the selection criteria and provide dedicated staff for Olympic Winter Games.