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Sochi 2014: Sports prepare for the Winter Games

Published 16 January 2014

Following the announcment of the medal targets for Great Britain in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, we hear from the sports funded by UK Sport about their preparations.

Gary Anderson, Performance Director for GB Bobsleigh, said: "I am pleased with how our preparations for Sochi are going. For us this season our focus has been on securing the quota spots and ensuring that the team peak in Sochi.

"Our aim for Sochi is to be the best prepared physically, mentally, tactically as we can be and our performances have proved that we can get amongst the medals. What has been crucial to that success has been the investment we have seen from UK Sport over the past four years through National Lottery funding for the programme. It is also important to acknowledge the journey we have been on and the trajectory, not only are we aiming for Sochi but also sustainability towards Pyeongchang in 2018."

Sir Andrew Ridgeway, Chair of GB Bobsleigh, said: "I am delighted with the extraordinary progress that British Bobsleigh has made since the 2010 Games in Vancouver. The credit for this progress is down to the dedication of the athletes, coaches and performance staff but also to the staff at UK Sport who have supported us so well on this difficult journey."

Dave Crosbee, Performance Director for British Curling, said: "With the matter of a few weeks to go, I believe that all three of the men, women and wheelchair curling teams are in excellent shape to represent GB at the Sochi Winter Olympics and Paralympics. All of the athletes have been training incredibly hard to ensure they are fully prepared both individually and as teams. Given the margins for success at the Olympic and Paralympic level are tiny, we are taking nothing for granted and therefore will continue to focus on the processes that have brought us the successes seen during this Olympic and Paralympic cycle, we do believe we are well placed to compete at the highest level.

"Such preparations and the development of a world-class support team would not have been possible without our partners and investors - UK Sport, sportscotland institute of sport, the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, The National Lottery and the BOA and BPA."

Nick Sellwood, Chief Executive of the National Ice Skating Association (NISA), said: "The British figure skaters have prepared for the 2014 season through a hard training phase throughout the summer and autumn period, leading into international Grand prix events, where they first demonstrated their routines for the 2014 season. These performances led to qualification places being allocated to Great Britain for the Women Single, Pairs and Ice Dance categories.

"The British Championships in December 2013 acted as the final selection event for the Winter Olympic Games. The selected skaters are now competing at the European Championships, in Hungary, prior to making final preparations for Sochi.

"Through their results on the international circuit, the British figure skaters have also qualified for the Team event, which ranks GB as one of the world’s top 10 countries.

"Figure skating has two funded athletes, Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland, and this funding has supported their preparations and training with former Olympic champion Evgeny Platov. All other skaters are self-funded, but partly supported via NISA."

Andrew Lockerbie, Performance Director for the British Disabled Ski Team, said: "Preparation for Sochi has being going really well. Our athletes are exceeding their targets in international competitions and we are now looking at more athletes than anticipated being selected for the Paralympic Games. A great thank you has to go to the charities Disability Snowsport UK and Get Kids Going, as well as UK Sport and the funding from the National Lottery, for making this possible."


Stuart Horsepool, Performance Director for GB Short Track, said: "The team is at the European Championships this week, their final event before Sochi and an excellent opportunity to sharpen up on racing for the Games. Even though the team is now making its final preparations, we must not forget it’s been a four year process. During this time, UK Sport has provided the skaters with the platform they needed from which to push their limits and excel. Without this support, GB Short Track wouldn’t have such a strong contingent excited and ready to race in Sochi this February."

Nigel Laughton, Performance Director for British Skeleton, said: "We are ambitious as a sport and thanks to our funding from UK Sport and the National Lottery, along with support from our other partners and sponsors, we approach Sochi 2014 confident and as well prepared as we can be. Winning Olympic medals in any sport is incredibly tough, not least in the unpredictable winter environment, and so we are extremely proud of the achievements our athletes have had at previous Olympic Winter Games and as a squad we will do the very best that we can to achieve further success in Russia for Team GB."

Paddy Mortimer, Performance Director for British Ski and Snowboard, said: "Since the start of the winter competition season we have had some significant results, including World Cup podiums, from our British Ski and Snowboard athletes. Preparations across all ski and snowboard disciplines are on track with the athletes continuing to compete on the world circuit and train hard with one eye on Sochi qualification.

"For our athletes who receive National Lottery funding this support is invaluable to them to ensure their preparation is as thorough and professional as it can be. With Sochi 2014 just around the corner, we thank the National Lottery and UK Sport for their continued support."

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