2012 Delancey British National Alpine Ski Championships
As Britain's top skiing talents get ready for the 2012 Delancey British National Alpine ski championships, which commences in Meribel next Sunday the 25th of March, their chances of receiving the necessary top level training and competing at the Winter Olympics in 2014 are under threat due to a critical lack of funding in the sport.
Attended by the Earl of Wessex, The Delancey British National Alpine Ski Championships is the biggest event on the British alpine calendar, and provides the opportunity for young British athletes to race on the same pistes recently chosen by FIS to host the Finals of the Alpine Ski World Cup in 2015.
The Championships will once again be sponsored by specialist real estate investors Delancey, who continue to provide enormous support to British Alpine Skiing, and who have recently partnered with Qatari Diar to purchase and lead the legacy of the Athletes Village in the Queen Elizabeth Park after the 2012 Games.
However, despite the government spending around £10bn staging the London Olympics, the attendance of a Great Britain Alpine ski team at the Winter Olympics in 2014 is under threat from a severe lack of funding and sponsorship, making Delancey's second year of support a huge help, but sadly still not enough to ensure talented young skiers excel as they should in this country.
However, despite the government spending around £10bn staging the London Olympics, the attendance of a competitive British Alpine ski team at the Winter Olympics in 2014 is under threat from a severe lack of funding and sponsorship. Delancey's second year of support is vital, but sadly is still not enough to ensure talented young skiers receive the support that they deserve to be able to compete for Great Britain on the international stage.
Although many Alpine skiers from the UK excel on the global stage at junior level, they fail to develop at senior level. This is a problem British Ski & Snowboard attribute to a shortage of funds and therefore an over-arching inability to pay for the correct training and competition programmes.
Dave Edwards, Chief Executive of British Ski & Snowboard, believes funding is vital for success in the medal tables but admits the sport faces an uphill struggle.
He said: 'Our elite British Alpine skiers have great potential for success on the international stage if we, as a nation, can put the correct support in place for them. Although many organisations have cut their marketing spend savagely over the last couple of years I firmly believe that our Alpine Ski team presents organisations with a very good opportunity to communicate messages and values about their brand to a very attractive audience.
I am determined to find those organisations over the next few months so that we can provide promising athletes with the support they deserve. For over 30 years British skiing has enjoyed the support of Sir John Ritblat and British Land. Sir John and the property business Delancey - run by his son Jamie - continue to support skiing but additional sponsorship is critically required."
Skiing is hugely popular in the UK with over 1 million Britons taking a skiing holiday every year. Over 75% of the ski trips that Britons take involve visits to France, Austria and Italy. The British tourist helps to support the National ski federations of these countries to the tune of many millions of pounds through money that they pay to the ski schools, in tourist taxes and other hidden subsidies in each of these countries. However none of this makes its way back to supporting home grown talent or facilities.
2012 will be the 34th year that Sir John Ritblat - Chairman of Delancey's Advisory Board - has been involved with sponsorship of the sport. President of the old British Ski Federation, Sir John continues to be one of skiing's strongest supporters and funding lobbyists. Commenting on the event and Delancey's continued involvement, Sir John said:
"In our view, the forthcoming British National Alpine Ski Championships is as important as any world championships. Britain has tremendous young prospects across all of its skiing disciplines. However in order for them to be in with a chance of challenging for medals at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympic Games, it is crucial that they have the opportunity to attend race events. Most important is that they secure the long-term funding that they and the sport so desperately require. A solid financial platform is the only way to ensure Britain maintains its world-class reputation in this, and any other, sport."
Details of the Delancey British National Alpine Ski Championships, including race programs and details of how to attend as spectator can be found on the official website: www.britishalpinechamps.com. Further information on Delancey and the services they provide can be found on: www.delancey.com.
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For further information, photography or to arrange an interview with Dave Edwards, Sir John Ritblat or one of the BSS elite athletes please contact:
Kirsty Buchanan on +44 207 842 5764 or email BuchananK@teamGB.com
or Katharine Walsh +44 7957 855102 or email Katharine.walsh@delancey.com.
