Cardiff Council proudly awarded four talented young athletes with a special bursary to assist them on their route to potential Olympic or Paralympic success.
Over 50 hopefuls applied for the grant, administered by Sport Cardiff, which will be used to assist with equipment, competition and training costs.
Emily Haycox is a cyclist striving for a place in the GB Talent Team and the support will mean she can replace parts on her bike and attend more competitions.
Alexander Griffiths is a swimmer who trains for 13 hours a week and will now be able to attend additional training camps and galas.
Jordan Howe is a track athlete and member of the Disability Sport Wales Academy. He is currently ranked number one in Wales in his classification group and is striving for a place in the 2012 and/or 2016 Paralympic Team.
Tomas Martin is also a member of the Disability Sport Wales Academy and his talent is for the game of Boccia, a Paralympic sport for wheelchair users which is similar to bowls. Tomas is training hard with a goal of making the Paralympic team for 2016 and the bursary will enable him to travel to additional competitions to assist with his development as a player.
The bursaries were awarded by Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells at an event held at Cardiff Castle.
The occasion ties in with the official One Year to Go countdown to the Paralympic Games which commences on Monday 29, August.
Cardiff is honoured to be a pre-games training camp and will host teams from the New Zealand, South African and Australian Parlaympic teams as they make their preparations in the lead up to London 2012. The city has been selected due to its excellent sporting facilities and infrastructure, professional approach of staff and the general friendliness of the people of Cardiff and Wales.
The city will also play an important role in celebrating International Paralympic Day on Thursday 8, September. For three action-packed days (Tuesday 6 until Thursday 8 September) the GB Cup Wheelchair Rugby Competition will take place at Sophia Gardens.
Team GB will come up alongside tough opposition as they compete against Paralaympic teams from Belgium, Sweden, Japan and Australia
Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “I am delighted to present these outstanding individuals with bursaries which will hopefully assist them in their quest for Olympic and Paralympic success.
“Sport.Cardiff will be following all four athletes on their sporting journey in the future and hope to se them all achieve their goals in the future.
“We are committed to providing disability provision in many different sports and as part of the London 2012 Games legacy hopes to inspire future Paralympians from the city.
“Pre-Games training camps ahead of London 2012 will not only provide economic, cultural, educational and sporting opportunities for the city, it will also cement Cardiff’s status on the international sporting map.”
