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Money may not grow on trees, but the Olympic Association will be shaking quite a few branches in an effort to get more money for Bermuda's top athletes.

Bermuda Olympic Association president Judy Simons said her group is hoping to have $400,000 a year available to sportsmen. This is a significant increase from the $250,000 a year the BOA gets from Government as they plan to get sponsorships to help top up the funds so that no athlete has to do without.

Simons said the 2012 Olympics have the potential to be one of Bermuda's biggest teams in a long time.

"We have some absolutely incredible athletes coming along," she said. "We're not sure what's going to happen with the Elite Athlete Funding...so we're probably looking at $400,000 for just this year alone."

The BOA president was adamant more has to be done for the island's best athletes.

"We are very much an athlete's board. We are going through some exciting changes. We want to support our athletes as much as we financially can do. We appreciate we're in difficult economic times, but we do need a good $400,000 just for this year."

Bermuda's international games' calendar is stacked with the Winter Olympics next month in Vancouver, followed by the CAC Games in Puerto Rico, Youth Olympics in Singapore and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

"Our athletes are really focused in trying to represent our country. It's not a question of whether or not we want to help them - we'd love to help them - but our purse strings are tight."

She said the new way plan was developed after several months of formal and informal consultation with key stakeholder groups - the National Sports Governing Bodies (NSGBs), Bermuda's elite athletes, the island's private sector and the wider community.

The president said key components will be a new approach to fundraising, the development of new community outreach programmes and the introduction of new branding for the BOA.

Simons added: "Although the BOA has been around since 1936 and has done an admirable job helping develop and prepare Bermuda's athletes for Elite-level international competition, it has had a fairly low profile.

"Our athletes and the NSGBs have been telling us we need to raise that profile and step up our fundraising capabilities so we can do more for our athletes.

"Many of Bermuda's Elite Athletes live overseas to train. And it can be tough for them to find suitable employment that allows them enough time for training, while still providing for all their expenses. For that reason, a revamped sponsorship and fundraising strategy is at the core of what we are characterising as the 'rebirth of the BOA.'"

Mrs. Simons explained: "We have seen Olympic Associations in other jurisdictions successfully market corporate sponsorship packages that have benefitted both the local sporting movements and corporate donors. The athletes benefit from additional funds being made available for coaching, facilities and travel, and on the corporate side, the donors enjoy improved recognition as good corporate citizens. Furthermore, corporate donors are often able to leverage the marketing power of their association with the international Olympic movement by obtaining rights to the use of the Olympic rings in their promotional materials. The rings are among the most respected and recognised symbols in the world."

The BOA has branded this new approach 'Journey to success'.

Simons said it reflects the association's goal of helping young people become the best that they can be through athletic competition and the embodiment of the Olympic ideals.[[In-content Ad]]

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