AOC President John Coates has welcomed the increased spending on sport announced in the Federal Budget, saying it will greatly assist Olympic athletes in the lead up to the Beijing and London Olympics.

“It is an investment in the future for our Olympic athletes” Coates said.

“It will help develop our elite athletes at a time when we are being challenged by other countries to maintain our place as a top Olympic nation."

Great Britain, China, Germany and Russia are among the nations who have dramatically increased funding for sport.

In the budget the Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, announced a funding boost of $55.7 million over four years to meet the international challenges facing Australian sport and help to deliver the sporting excellence now expected by the Australian public.

“If we want to maintain our position in the top five nations in the world we need this investment” Coates said.

The additional funding is part of the Australian Government’s strong commitment to Australian sport with more than $250 million of funding allocated for 2006–07.

Additional funding will be used for initiatives designed to enhance high performance coaching, talent identification and to provide more sophisticated sports science and support services to elite athletes.

“It is important that we keep our coaches. We currently have some of the best coaches in the world and they are a fundamental building block to developing our elite athletes” Coates said.

He said the athletes deserved the increased support because many had put careers on hold to chase their Olympic dream.

“They are outstanding role models in the community and their feats encourage more and more children to participate in sport” he said.

The Federal Government has maintained Australia’s tough stance on drugs in sport announcing the newly established Australian Sports Anti Doping Authority (ASADA) will receive $10.6 million in 2006–07.

AOC