Cash for medals offer for coaches
BRITISH-based swimming coaches are being offered a major cash incentive for their athletes to win medals at the Beijing Olympics later this year.
The reward scheme, introduced by the recently appointed national performance director Michael Scott, includes £10,000 for an individual gold medal, £7,500 for silver and £5,000 for bronze.
A coach producing more than one medal-winning performance will be eligible for a multiple bonus.
Relay medals will be similarly rewarded but the money divided among the coaches of the four swimmers involved in the final.
The scheme applies to open water as well as pool swimming.
It brings Britain into line with certain other countries, including the US and Australia, who already offer financial rewards to coaches whose swimmers make the Olympic podium.
Scott said: 'The introduction of incentives is an important step in further recognizing the vital role and sacrifices that coaches make for the success of British Swimming in the international arena.
`Such a result-based reward system will assist in fostering the development of excellence among the coaching fraternity in this country and this will have huge benefits in the long term.'
He added: 'Athletes receive an enhanced award through UK Sport for finishing on the podium so we've tried to replicate this to recognize the contribution made by the coach in achieving Olympic success. It brings us in line with some of the biggest swimming nations in the world and will help towards achieving the best possible result.'
Scott believes the scheme could also be extended to embrace other competitions, such as the World Championships.
One way of dealing with this would be to select a 'benchmark event' for each year and reward coaches in a similar way.
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| Title |
Cash for medals offer for coaches. |
| Source |
Swimming (Loughborough, England) |
| Publisher |
Institute of Swimming Teachers and Coaches |
| Vol/Iss |
85(5) |
| Date |
May 2008 |
| SIRC Article # |
S-1072337 |
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