UK Athletics, the national governing body for British Athletics, has announced today the Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have been offered support through its World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) for 2015 – 2016.
On the back of the success at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar where 5 medals were won by Welsh athletes, it's heartening to see the support available to these World Class athletes as they prepare for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games next year. 21% of the athletes named today are Welsh, well above the target of 5%, based on population.
Funded by the National Lottery through UK Sport, WCPP selection is based upon the potential to win medals at an Olympic or Paralympic Games and is split into two levels: Podium (for athletes with the potential to medal at Rio 2016) and Podium Potential (for athletes developing towards Tokyo 2020).
UK Athletics has invited 21 athletes to join its Olympic Podium programme and 25 athletes to the Paralympic Podium programme. An additional 29 Olympic and 27 Paralympic athletes have been offered the opportunity to join the respective Podium Potential programmes, with 31 being offered support across the various relay programmes.
PODIUM WCPP
Hollie Arnold (Anthony Hughes); Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones); Kyron Duke (Anthony Hughes);
PODIUM POTENTIAL WCPP
Samantha Bowen (Anthony Hughes); Sabrina Fortune (Ian Robinson); Jordan Howe (Keith Antoine); Rhys Jones; Laura Sugar (Femi Akinsanya); Bradley Wigley (Jane Coia)
RELAY SQUADS
Olivia Breen (Jonas Tawiah-Dodoo)
