Media Release -29th June 2008

The Commonwealth Games Association of Jersey are offering £2500 to each of its member sports that are hoping to be represented at the Delhi Games in October 2010. This is part of the £50,000 Development Grant that has been provided by the Delhi Games Organising Committee. It is to be used specifically to help potential athletes selected for those Games in their preparation. This news was announced to delegates at last Thursday’s Council Meeting. Members were told that they have until the end of this year to decide whether to use their allocation to invite a specialist coach to Jersey and/or to send their potential Games athletes to India for one of their test events.

This news will be particularly well received by the latest recruit to the membership of the Association, the recently formed Archery Association of Jersey. Archery is included for the first time in a Commonwealth Games programme in Delhi in 2010 and, like tennis, is not expected to be included in future Games programmes for many years. This is, therefore, a ‘once-in-a lifetime’ opportunity for competitors such as Jersey’s UK National Recurve Champion, Lucy O’Sullivan to compete on this World stage and to experience conditions for shooting in India prior to the Games.

Disappointment was expressed at the Council Meeting last week, that no local companies have yet come forward to provide sponsorship for the Jersey Team travelling next October to Pune, near Mumbai, India for the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games. The Association’s Officers believe that with the Youth Games later this year and the Delhi Games in two year’s time, this would provide an ideal opportunity for a Jersey-based company to be seen to support local sport with the emphasis on off-setting expenses for Jersey’s elite athletes.