Skint British athletes forced to abandon Olympic dreams with some ‘left homeless’ because of crippling debt
BRITISH athletes are being forced to abandon their Olympic dreams because of crippling debt.
UK Sport funding has stagnated, leaving many struggling to meet training costs.
Stars are unable to pay bills and some have even been left homeless.
Now athletes have put their hopes of appearing at the LA 2028 Games on the back burner.
A survey of 189 competitors in funded Olympic or Paralympic sports this summer painted the bleak economic outlook.
Asked by the British Elite Athletes Association whether they could compete in 2028, nearly two-thirds said they might have to quit.
One ‘multiple medallist’ said: “I know ex-athlete friends who have gone into debt, lost so much and even a couple who have been homeless.”
GB 2016 Olympic hockey champion Hollie Pearne-Webb stressed: “Many athletes are blocked from elite sport because of the personal finance needed to make ends meet.”
UK Sport granted £70million in Athlete Performance Awards to 1,100 athletes before the 2024 Paris Games.
The A+ grant is worth up to £28,000 but the top figures have not changed for 12 years.
A UK Sport spokesperson said: “We understand these financial pressures and are considering this matter ahead of LA 2028.”
Team GB finished seventh in the medal table in Paris, winning 14 golds with an overall tally of 65.