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Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'It is sad' - German synchronised swimmers to worlds via donations
German synchronized swimmer Klara Bleyer talking to her coach during the preparations for the world championships in Singapore during training in Bochum. Sascha Thelen/dpa Germany's leading synchronised swimmer Klara Bleyer is not happy that the team had to rely on donations to make it to the upcoming world championships in Singapore. Government funds were not enough to send the full team to Asia, and the swimming body DSV came up with the donation plan in a bid to support the team. Advertisement Bleyer told dpa she is "very grateful" that the DSV took action, but she added: "It is sad that you have to collect donations to send the national team to competitions." Bleyer is a European champion and could win Germany's first ever medal in the sport at world championships in Singapore. Bleyer also spoke of poor training conditions in Germany in which they partly have to share pools with school children, and she also criticised the status of sport in Germany in general which she named lower than elsewhere. "It doesn't feel that good when you look at other countries. Most of the time they have a pool for themselves all day long," she said. Advertisement "I was in Spain a few months ago. They have a big sports complex with the best conditions. That makes you think: Germany is such a rich country. Why does Spain manage and we don't?" Bleyer suggested that a more centralised approach with one training site featuring a big pool for the whole team could improve the conditions and move the sport forward.
The Standard
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Standard
Sai Wan hit-and-run: elderly woman struck twice, two drivers arrested
Jockey Club commits over HK$500 million to support 15th National Games and other contests in Hong Kong and Guangdong
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
States to decide on lottery funds for Jersey Sport
The States Assembly is set to decide on the redistribution of £857,410 from the Channel Islands Lottery proceeds to include Jersey Sport. Since 2020, the proceeds have been successfully managed by the Association of Jersey Charities (AJC) and the Jersey Community Foundation (JCF), supporting numerous local charities and organisations including the sports funding distribution to Jersey Sport is being proposed to reduce administrative costs and provide better access for sporting organisations to seek support, according to a proposition to the Jersey Sport and the JCF which has funded sport, support this transfer, the proposition said. Under the new allocation plan:50% (£428,705) will go to the AJC, solely for registered charities.30% (£257,223) will be directed to the JCF, with funds split between arts, culture, heritage (65-75%), and applied sciences or research (25-35%).20% (£171,482) will be allocated to Jersey Sport to support sports and active lifestyles.
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Cost of children's sport rises in Australia as voucher programs fail to budge participation
Parents of young cricketers, footballers and basketball players are now paying more than $500 a year on average for their children to play, plus more on equipment, according to a national survey highlighting Australia's most expensive codes, as state governments pledge hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure sport is not just for the wealthy. But new research from the University of Sydney has found subsidising families' sporting costs through the use of government vouchers alone is not enough, after two prominent recent examples – including a high profile New South Wales scheme – failed to increase sport participation at scale. This evidence comes as the Queensland government expands its voucher scheme, now costing taxpayers $62.5m a year, and similar programs have been in place in every state. At the same time, the increasing price of children's sport has been highlighted by cost breakdowns in the government's AusPlay survey, released again in 2025 after a year's break due to a change in methodology. It shows several popular sports including gymnastics, tennis, swimming, cricket, athletics, basketball and football cost parents more than $500 a year on average in registration, membership and venue access, and excluding outlays required for uniforms, bats, rackets, boots and balls. Only gymnastics showed any decrease from the last time AusPlay data was released in 2023, highlighting a trend of escalating costs going back years. Rochelle Eime, professor in sports science at Federation University, said there has been a longstanding association between participation and socioeconomic status, and a voucher worth $100 or $200 a year is insufficient for many families. '$150, $200, it doesn't really cut through does it, when you're trying to pay the rent and keep the lights on, put food on the table – something's got to give,' she said. Eime said sports need to try to offer alternatives, and move from formal, organised and often expensive settings to a more 'person-centred' approach focused on enjoyment and retention. 'We get very busy organising things, and sport prioritises grading and talent development and trying to fit into structures and stuff like that,' she said. 'The majority of kids just want to have fun and play with their friends, and if they're enjoying themselves, they'll come back.' Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion The average cost for a football player was $334 in 2016, rising to $459 in 2022 before the latest figure of $513 covering the survey period across 2023 and 2024. Basketball's average outlay rose from $414 to $551 between the latest two reports. The University of Sydney research revealed the Active Kids voucher program in NSW failed to deliver the kind of broad society-level increases in physical activity and weekly sport participation had aimed for. Between 2018 and 2022, when the program offered $100 vouchers, physical activity fell and weekly sport participation was found to have dropped significantly, from 70.3% to 53.6%. Dr Lindsey Reece, who is one of the study's authors and also the Australian Sport Commission's sport programs director, posted on LinkedIn this month saying: 'Covid-19 certainly played a role – but even outside of pandemic years, the expected boost in activity did not materialise across the population.' The key takeaway she posited was that while financial support matters, vouchers alone 'are not enough to shift the dial on children's physical activity at scale' and future programs 'must incorporate targeted, evidence-based behaviour change strategies and address inequities in access and participation'. The report suggests media campaigns and partnerships with community leaders and organisations should be considered in future to encourage further uptake in targeted children and adolescents. The government's decision to make the Active Kids program means-tested in 2024, 'may contribute to closing the socioeconomic gap in physical activity and this adapted program should be evaluated,' the report said. Those who spoke a primary language other than English at home, were aged 15 to 18 years old, lived in the most disadvantaged areas, and were girls were less likely to sign up for sport. Rising costs are a major concern for officials within the Australian Sports Commission who have commissioned a separate report into the impacts of the high cost of participating in sport, due to be released in coming months.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK Government's £50m pledge for Casement Park an enormous step forward – O'Neill
A UK Government pledge of £50 million for the development of Casement Park is an 'enormous step forward', Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly responded by stating that sport across Northern Ireland is 'crying out for financial support'. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn confirmed that the £50 million is ringfenced for the rebuild of the west Belfast GAA stadium and cannot be spent on other projects by the Stormont Executive. The money was included in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending review, which outlines the UK Government's spending plans over the coming years. Ireland's deputy premier Simon Harris said it is 'past time for the redevelopment of this historic venue to get under way'. Plans for a 34,000-capacity stadium have been mired in uncertainty because of a major funding gap of around £150 million. The Government announcement includes £50 million over four years to support the currently derelict stadium being developed. Ms O'Neill said: 'Casement Park is an Executive flagship project and is more than just a sporting venue, it will serve as an economic driver for the surrounding communities and region, creating jobs and attracting investment. 'Today's commitment of substantial funding from the British Government marks an enormous step forward. It is time for all of us to pull together to now get Casement built.' Stormont ministers committed £62.5 million to Casement in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp it along with football's Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill. While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed for several years because of legal challenges by local residents. The estimated build cost spiralled in the interim. Last September the UK Government ended hopes that the west Belfast venue would host Euro 2028 games, when it said it would not bridge a funding gap to deliver the redevelopment in time. As well as the Stormont contribution of £62.5 million, the Irish government has offered roughly £42 million and the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15 million. It has been reported that the cost of the project has fallen to £270 million since it was confirmed the ground would not host Euros matches. Under current plans and including the £50 million from Wednesday's announcement, the funding shortfall stands at roughly £100 million. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said it was now up to the Stormont Executive to do work on updating plans and costings for the Casement project. He said: 'We will look at those proposals to support them as best we can.' The DUP's Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has previously said that any additional money for sporting infrastructure in Northern Ireland had to be delivered on a fair and equitable basis. Ms Little-Pengelly said: 'It'll be over to the GAA in terms of the way forward on that, but from our point of view, it's very much about trying to ensure in an inclusive way that there is fairness right across the needs of all of our sports.' Asked if the £50 million could be spent on other Executive sporting projects, Mr Benn said: 'It is the bottom line. 'This is £50 million for Casement Park, it is ringfenced for that purpose.' He added: 'This is an Executive commitment, it dates from 2011. 'Three stadia – Windsor Park, Ravenhill, Casement Park, three great sporting codes. ' Two of them have been done and Casement Park has not been done. 'We all want to see it completed. 'It is worth looking at how much the UK Government has given directly to football, rugby, sport, leisure and other things over the past four-and-a-bit years, it amounts to £47 million, and a very small bit of that, £1.1 million, went to two projects supported by the GAA. 'We're balancing out what has been the contribution to football, rugby, other sports and leisure over the last four years because I think everyone wants to see the Casement Park project completed.' GAA president Jarlath Burns said it was an 'important and significant' investment from the UK Government. He added: 'We know, however, that this is not the final piece of jigsaw and there is much more work to do. 'The GAA will engage directly with the NI Executive and the Department for Communities to ensure that all parties actively pursue, and secure, a full funding package that will deliver upon the GAA's strategic stadium need.' Ms Reeves' announcement was also welcomed by the Irish government. Deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris said Dublin had long supported the redevelopment of Casement Park as a 'landmark sports infrastructure project'. Mr Harris said: 'In February 2024, we made an early commitment from the Shared Island initiative of up to 50 million euro (£42 million) for the redevelopment of Casement. 'We underlined our commitment at that time to support the GAA in progressing this project in partnership with the UK and NI authorities. 'I will now engage with all these partners to deliver a redeveloped stadium. 'The last match hosted in Casement was well over a decade ago and it is past time for the redevelopment of this historic venue to get under way.'
