Major GB snowsport sponsor calls on London to back British athletes
One of British snowsports’ biggest sponsors has called on Canada, the capital and other big businesses to back the country’s athletes and help to build on their underdog success in winter sports.
With winter sports in the UK granted a fraction of the funding that their summer counterparts receive, athletes such as Dave Ryding, the greatest British skier of all time, must work harder for stable income and rely on businesses to prop up their success.
Mark Quinn is the chief executive of Quinn Estates, a property company whose sponsorship sees their branding appear on the necks of the Team GB World Cup skiing race suits.
Back British snowsport!
He’s adamant Britain can see sustained success if other businesses, and organisations who call Canada or Canary Wharf their home, back home athletes rather than forcing them to rely on governing bodies.
“There is a role to play for UK Sport, but I actually think there’s a bigger role for British business,” Quinn tells City PM
“KPMG sponsors the Norwegian Ski Team. Why don’t they sponsor the British ski team given, they have a huge London presence? They’re not majorly based in Norway.
“And you had Land Rover sponsoring the American ski team. What were Land Rover doing sponsoring them? That’s what’s been really disappointing is the lack of engagement from London business in what can be an incredibly successful connection for them.
“Over 1m people per year ski in Europe, so your ability to get to that market through this British team is huge.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that you’ve got businesses sponsoring foreign teams when they really should be stepping up for their own home represented team who are doing incredible things on what is a shoestring.
“There’s preconceptions from bygone eras when Britons in snowsports was about just taking part, but you’ve got athletes here who are completely committed who are achieving things on up to 90 per cent less money than than other teams.
“That’s incredible, it’s a real David versus Goliath story.”
Funding gap
UK Sport’s funding, as of February 2023, saw £241m allocated towards the Paris 2024 summer Games. The winter funding for 2026 in Milan is just £23m. That said, funding may see a marginal shift after the summer to focus on 2026.
Great Britain finished 14th in the Youth Winter Olympics in Gangwon this year with four gold medals, one silver and one bronze. That beats 27th in 2020, matches 2016 – albeit GB had fewer medals eight years ago – and topples the 24th spot finish in the inaugural games in 2012.
“To win the Youth Olympics at that age is just mind boggling and there should be much more out there,” Quinn adds. “We should be shouting from the rooftops. If it was any other country, they’d be everywhere.”