Olympics sprint hero Allan Wells angry as athletics loses funds

ALLAN Wells, the Scottish sprint hero who won a gold medal in the 1980 Olympic Games, has criticised a Scottish Government decision to stop funding several grassroots athletics projects.

Three community schemes run by scottishathletics, including Street Sprint and Club Together, have been backed for the last two years by CashBack for Communities, the government programme that reinvests money confiscated from criminals.

But the government’s commitment will stop at the end of this month. While football, boxing, rugby and basketball will continue to receive CashBack funding for another two years, athletics, hockey, badminton, tennis and racquet sports have lost out.

“I think it has to be seriously looked at because it is unfair,” said Wells. “Football is getting so much money for facilities. Goodness me, how many football pitches are in this blooming country?

“Athletics [has had] what over the last couple of years? A couple of hundred thousand? It’s not a lot of money, and to be honest, it doesn’t do justice. How can the kids feel wanted in the sport when this money is being taken away?”

Wells, whose 100m victory in Moscow 32 years ago is one of Scottish sport’s iconic moments, is also frustrated the decision has been taken in the build up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. “It is counter-productive,” he said. “The Scottish public will be looking for kids in two years’ time. In five years’ time, six years’ time, we might have a dip in that level of the sport.”

A Scottish Government spokesman defended the decision, saying: “Since 2007, sportscotland has invested £1.149 million in capital projects for athletics tracks and changing facilities and £18.8 million on national and regional facilities in Scotstoun, Aberdeen and Ravenscraig, all of which cater for athletics. This investment underpins our commitment to Scottish Athletics and developing talent.”