British Bobsleigh’s top female driver has claimed that mismanagement has jeopardised the place of the women’s team at the Winter Olympics only five months before the start of the Games.
Mica McNeill has launched a crowdfunding campaign after being warned that the governing body was struggling to finance the women’s team for the eight World Cup events that serve as a ranking competition for the Pyeongchang Olympics.
It is the latest blow for Britain’s best-funded winter sport, which announced within the past three weeks that Gary Anderson, the performance director, and Dominik Scherrer, the head coach, were stepping down.
UK Sport cut public funding by £50,000 in the summer after athletes complained of a “toxic atmosphere” in the sport, and an independent review was launched into allegations of bullying, racism and sexism.
British Bobsleigh is understood to be focusing its financial resources on the three men’s teams as it believes that they have a greater chance of success.
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McNeill, 23, won the Junior World Championships in January and says that she needs £30,000 to take part in the World Cup starting at Lake Placid, US, on November 9.
“Due to the mismanagement of British Bobsleigh there is no longer any funding available for a women’s programme to compete in the Olympics,” she said. “I now must self-fund my winter season and I am asking for funding/sponsorship so that I am able to compete on the World Cup circuit this winter to secure my place in the next Olympics.
“I have worked incredibly hard and made many sacrifices. I have even bought my own bobsleigh so that I can achieve my dreams.”
The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association said that it was still seeking sponsorship for the Olympics. “The GB Bobsleigh programme is focusing resources on winning medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics,” the statement read. “We are actively seeking commercial funding to further support our world-class performance programme and we will continue to do so.”
UK Sport is monitoring the situation but will not provide any more funds to bail out the sport. McNeill’s campaign comes days after the bobsleigh association appointed Lee Johnston as the new head coach.
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McNeill, from Consett in County Durham, posted a link to her crowdfunding page on Twitter and added: “After years of hard work we are absolutely devastated to be in this situation. Please help us make the Olympics.” In the first four hours her appeal had raised £1,180 towards the £30,000 target.