Almost three quarters of Scottish Team GB athletes had received support from SportsAid Scotland.
As Scottish athletes celebrated a record-matching 13 medals at the Rio Olympics it emerged that almost three quarters had received support from a charity that helps young sportsmen and women.
Of the 47 Scots taking part in the games, 34 had been given financial assistance from SportsAid Scotland at some point in their careers.
The list includes gold medal winning cyclists Katie Archibald and Callum Skinner and rower Heather Stanning as well as three of the four swimmers from Team GB’s silver medal winning 200m freestyle relay team.
Katherine Grainger, who became Britain’s most-decorated female Olympian with her silver medal in the double skulls, is also among the athletes to have benefitted from the charity’s support.
Recognition as an athlete of promise is very important and gives young athletes the inspiration to pursue their sporting dreams and fulfil their potential
Since SportsAid Scotland was founded in 1980, it has awarded funding in excess of £3 million to more than 5000 athletes with £200,000 in awards already handed out to 250 sportspeople this year.
Sir Chris Hoy, who received funding from the charity at the start of his career, was among those who paid tribute to its work as the Rio games came to a close.
He said: “I am very grateful to SportsAid Scotland for giving me some initial funding towards my BMX racing when I was a 12-year-old in Edinburgh. It may only have been £100 but it was a rubber stamp of approval and great to have their support.
“Recognition as an athlete of promise is very important and gives young athletes the inspiration to pursue their sporting dreams and fulfil their potential.
“As a 12-year-old bike rider, I had no idea what the future held for me but receiving a SportsAid grant at an early age was a real boost.”
Roddy Mackenzie, SportsAid Scotland’s chief executive, said he hoped the success in Rio would lead to additional funding in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
He added: "It was fantastic to see so many of our athletes achieving success in Rio. We provide the first rung of the ladder for talented athletes to receive funding and it is so often the case that it is that first recognition that inspires athletes to achieve greatness.
"We are hugely grateful to our main sponsors The Robertson Trust and also The David Stevenson Trust, SSE and sportscotland who have enabled us to provide a high-level of support for the stars of tomorrow.
"The feedback we receive from athletes is overwhelmingly positive and many who have gone on to win medals at major games speak fondly of that first recognition of support provided through SportsAid Scotland."
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that sports charities in England and Wales had seen a nine per cent funding boost since the 2012 London games.
Analysis by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) found that the post-Olympics boost had mainly been felt by larger amateur sports charities – those with an annual income over £100,000. Data was unavailable for Scotland.
Susan Pinkney, CAF’s head of research, said: “For the millions inspired by the brilliant performances of our Olympians, charities play a big part in helping to provide the funding, facilities and inspiration to get them to take up sports and be active.
“Many of our Team GB heroes have been motivated and supported by large and small sports charities and coached by volunteers on their route to success.
“While it is great to see the rise in income of sports charities across the UK, it’ll be important to ensure that the vital role of smaller grassroots charities does not get overlooked.
“Following the inspiring success of Team GB in Rio, we hope to see an increase in the number of grassroots organisations dedicated to sport so we can continue to inspire physical activity across the nation and new generations of medal-winning athletes.”
