[FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER, THIS $30m IS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE MONEY TO BE PROVIDED BY THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OR ANY OF THE STATE GOVERMENTS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE INSTITUTES OF SPORT. THE TOTAL FIGURE, FOR A NATION OF 21 MILLION PEOPLE, INDICATES PRETTY GOOD SUPPORT FOR SPORT. KK:)]
AOC ANNOUNCES $30 MILLION SPEND ON LONDON OLYMPIC TEAM
The Australian Olympic Committee today announced it will spend $30 million to send our athletes to the London Olympics in 2012.
The AOC has budgeted $16.7m to prepare the 2012 Australian Olympic Team and $13.4m to send the Team to London.
The money is based on the AOC sending a Team of 400 athletes to London
That is slightly down on Beijing (435 athletes) following the exclusion of Baseball and Softball from the Olympic program in 2012.
The AOC Executive today approved the allocation of $4.7m towards adidas Medal Incentive Funding to help athletes to win selection and ultimately medals at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Medal incentive funding for medallists is slightly more than the previous four years (quadrennium) except there is no monetary reward for 4th placegetters at this stage or for coaches.
In 2005 and 2006, which included Athens medallists, AOC Funding payments were $10,000 (gold) $7,500 (silver) and $5,000 (bronze) each year.
In 2007 funding was increased to $15,000 (gold) $10,000 (silver) $7,500 (bronze) and by the addition of $5,000 (4th).
It was boosted further in 2008 to $20,000 (gold) $13,400 (silver) $10,000 (bronze) and $6,700 (4th).
The funding for medallists will be higher at the start of this quad. In 2009 and 2010, which includes Beijing medallists, funding payments will total $15,000 (gold) $10,000 (silver) and $7,500 (bronze)
“We have discontinued adidas Medal Incentive Funding to coaches, previously amounting to 20% of that for athletes. While we acknowledge the hard work, dedication and outstanding results achieved by our coaches, the athletes must get priority in these tough economic times”.
“Also, most of our coaches of medallists are now in the business of coaching or employed by their member National Federations, the AIS, the Australian Sports Commission, and the State Institutes of Sport .They are being paid a wage whereas the athletes are not”.
The AOC is providing funding of $6.37m to National Federations for international competition for their athletes and officials preparing for the London Games.
The AOC will pay $2,500 for each athlete and official towards the cost of their international competition in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
We have committed $4.6m to the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF).
“This event is key to the development of young Olympians” Coates said. “72 athletes from our Beijing Olympic Team came through the AYOF, they won 21 medals in China”.
“2009 will be our 5th AYOF. The Festival has produced Emma Snowsill, Anna Meares, Jessicah Schipper, Sally McLellan and Matthew Mitcham. It provides our best young athletes with a unique multi-sport experience modelled on the Olympic Games”.
The AOC has budgeted $647,000 towards sending a Team to the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) staged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Singapore in 2010.
The Summer and Winter YOG will be held every four years. The introduction of the YOG has prompted the AOC to hold its Youth Festival every four years instead of bi-annually.
“There is no need for us to compete with the YOG particularly as many of our core sports are struggling to cope with so many events on the junior calendar” Coates said.
Like the AYOF the YOG brings together the best young athletes from around the globe”.
The AOC also expects to receive $371,000 from Olympic Solidarity which will go towards sports development programs including coaching.
Coates said “I see the $30 million budget as a good starting point. We came off a similar base of $29.3 million after Athens and boosted it as Beijing drew closer. We would like to do the same this time for London, but that will depend on us first achieving our sponsorship and fundraising budgets and they will be more difficult in the current global financial crisis and uncertain times ahead”.