British Ice Skating has welcomed an investment of £1.6 million by UK Sport towards the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic cycle.
The two UK Sport funding streams awarded to BIS are Sport Progression, to enhance a domestic winter sport pathway infrastructure and National Squad funding, to help ensure the most promising athletes can attend major championship competitions and Games qualification events.
This news follows a hugely successful Beijing Winter Olympics in which, for the first time in 30 years, British Ice Skating was represented in each on-ice discipline of Figure Skating, Short Track and Long Track Speed Skating.
Michelle Draper, CEO of British Ice Skating, said: “It should not be understated how huge a moment this is for our organisation and sport.
“The funding streams that we have received will allow us to put in place ways to support future generations and give everyone the opportunity to reach the very highest level.
“Ice Skating is an accessible winter sport, there are rinks across the country that are waiting to welcome people. Now, with this significant backing from UK Sport we can put in place more pathways to inspire and support skaters across the UK.
“A huge thanks must go to all staff and volunteers who have worked incredibly hard to get us to where we are today.”
UK Sport have signalled that today’s announcement marks the start of a programme of support in the long-term potential of ice skating.
Jon Eley, Performance and Talent Manager at British Ice Skating, said: “We have massive amounts of talent and passion in ice rinks across the UK, in all three of our disciplines. This funding announcement not only recognises those already competing at the very highest level, but skaters coming through the ranks ready to make their mark on the world stage.
“We are aligned with UK Sport in wanting to ensure that future generations are supported, so are extremely excited about being able to build sustainable and accessible systems so those future high potential athletes can emerge.
“There is a lot of hard work ahead of us, but it is an incredibly exciting time for British Ice Skating. The sport in the UK is on an upward trajectory and this investment from UK Sport will ensure we are able to continue that momentum to Milan-Cortina in 2026 and beyond.”
Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, said: “Our investment for the Milan-Cortina cycle aims to harness a broad talent pool which reflects the diversity of British society. I believe there is a sport for everyone and one strength of our Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports is that they can engage a broad fan and participation base. Winter sport boasts everything from the precision and strategy of curling right through to the adrenaline fuelled freestyle snow sports.
“This investment would not be possible without the ongoing funding from the Government and The National Lottery, enabling British athletes access the world class training and support they need to succeed on the world stage. The eight funded sports are set to reap the benefits of this vital investment at Olympic and Paralympic level, whilst also providing the athletes with the platform to inspire future generations.”