More than 500 Western Australian athletes have received subsidies to travel to sporting competitions in the latest round of the State Government’s Athlete Travel Subsidy Scheme.
Sport and Recreation Minister Mia Davies said the scheme supported talented athletes aged 13-21 by offsetting out-of-pocket travel and accommodation costs to attend training camps and competitions at regional, State, national and international levels.
“It’s not always financially easy for athletes to travel to train or compete, so these subsidies are designed to ease the burden and allow them to concentrate on their performance,” Ms Davies said.
“Athletes who receive funding through this scheme are on the pathway to greater sporting achievements and might just be some of our stars of tomorrow.”
Administered by the Department of Sport and Recreation over a four-year period, the $2.75 million Athlete Travel Subsidy Scheme is part of the Supporting Community Sport Initiative. Subsidies for regional athletes are provided through the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program.
In this round, 169 regional athletes received $111,688, and 342 metropolitan athletes shared in $93,308. A wide variety of sports are represented in this latest round including Dancesport, football, gymnastics, gridiron, hockey, orienteering, softball, taekwondo, synchronised swimming, tenpin bowling, cycling, basketball and weightlifting.
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said he was pleased to see Royalties for Regions investing in young athletes.
“Living in regional WA should not exclude talented athletes from representative opportunities,” Mr Redman said. “I look forward to seeing more regional athletes ascend national and international arenas, instilling pride in their local communities.”
Inclusive of the current round, almost $700,000 has been approved to athletes since the scheme commenced in 2013.
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