SportsAid Week 2021 will celebrate the charity’s 45th anniversary with a drive to raise £45,000 to support talented young athletes aspiring to be the country’s next Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and world champions.
Since its foundation in 1976 as the Sports Aid Foundation, SportsAid has helped tens of thousands of British athletes, including the winners of 141 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. In recent years, talented young British skiers and snowboarders including GB Freestyle Snowboard World Cup Squad member Ethan Smith (18), GB Freestyle Snowboard B Squad members Koby Cook (17) and Liam Tynan (16), GB Freeski B Squad member Jasper Klein (19), and Alpine GB Europa Cup Squad member Reece Bell (20) have all been among the charity’s beneficiaries, supporting the British snowsport talent pipeline.
SportsAid Week 2021 gets underway on Monday 20 September with the charity encouraging people across the country to mark the occasion by getting active and raising valuable funds for talented young athletes through challenges linked to the numbers 45, 450, 4,500 or 45,000. Funds raised through the #MyMiles challenge will go towards supporting SportsAid’s continued investment into the country’s brightest young sporting talent.
Sportsaid grant recipient and current alpine europa cup squad member, reece bell, paid tribute to the impact of sportsaid saying:
“As a young athlete, I dream of representing my country on the world’s biggest stages and continuing the proud tradition of British sporting success. The support I’ve had from SportsAid hasn’t just helped financially; it’s also helped to reinfoce the belief that I’m on the right track as I look to grow and develop in my sport. That’s why I’m backing the #MyMiles campaign for SportsAid Week 2021 with my own running and cycling challenge to celebrate the charity’s 45th anniversary!“
mark ritchie, gb snowsport head of talent, said:
“SportsAid’s reputation as an important part of Britain’s commitment to developing young athletes is well-deserved. As they gear up to celebrate their 45th anniversary, we feel it’s important to acknowledge their support to young British skiers and snowboarders. At a time where British snowsport prospects are brighter than ever, SportsAid’s work continues to play a vital role in supporting the talent pipeline.”
To find out more about SportsAid Week 2021 and the charity’s #MyMiles campaign, visit www.sportsaid.org.uk/get-involved/sportsaid-week/
GB Snowsport – SportsAid Supported Athletes
- Reece Bell – Alpine, Europa Cup Squad
- Koby Cook – Freestyle Snowboard, B Squad
- Jasper Klein – Freeski, B Squad
- Ethan Smith – Freestyle Snowboard, World Cup Squad
- Liam Tynan – Freestyle Snowboard, B Squad