Snowsport GB Now In Administration

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/news/story.aspx?intStoryID=7079 :shock: :(

Seems that all the sponsored Olympians are taken care of, so thats Ok.

That just leaves the issue of where we can get our historical ski info. That used to be a free site, until it was taken over by SnowsportGB. Over the years, I have found that info to be quite useful in planning projects.

Yes the olympians are taken care of but all the rest of the team who weren't selected to go to Vancouver have been left high and dry. No coaches, transport, programme and they all had a contract with SSGB that was until the end of April.
They owe me for 1/2 the season which I've paid for, probably about £1500.
They left TJ totally abandoned just 2 days before he went to the World junior champs as the only GB skier. It was only when myself and one of his sponsors found the money to pay for his coach and expenses again that he was able to go.
All the team that are left behind are now frantically trying to get the programme set up and funded until the end of the season. This includes 2 World cup racers & 1 Europa Cup racer.

The board of SSGB are all trying to blame other people for the mess they are in. None of them are taking any responsibility at all. Yet it has been going wrong for 4-5 years all with the same board members just letting it happen.
They have really let all the athletes down badly and treated them with total contempt.
Lets hope that none of them are going to have anything to do with the new governing body that will emerge from the ashes.

Will there be a new governing body?

I see the snowboarders have gone their own way and reformed their national association.

Sadly, there is a precedent for this rotten situation. After the Sapporo Olympics in 1972, the British Ski Federation virtually abandoned the idea of a British ski racing team. It was only the efforts of individual racers like Bartelski, Fuchs and Bailey that kept the team afloat. They raised the cash, transport, equipment etc with precious little official backing.

I hope it doesn't come to that this time around and some lotto money can help out.

This looks like good-ish news (an extract from a press release issued by the British Olympic Association.

[b]The International Ski Federation (FIS) has endorsed the BOA's move to mobilise a current dormant subsidiary company, "Team GB Ltd", to act as the National Governing Body for Ski and Snowboarding.

In this capacity, Team GB Ltd will trade under the name of BSS (British Ski and Snowboarding) and will ensure that FIS registration and FIS race entries continue for all accredited athletes without undue disruption.

After the Vancouver Games, the BSS will initiate a full consultation process to determine how the skiers, snowboarders and all interested parties wish to see the governing body for the sport functioning once the BOA's subsidiary has fulfilled its role in bridging the gap for the sport in this perilous time.

The BOA intends that hereafter, as its top priority, the governing body will be independent and athlete-focused, providing services to the best children, juniors and senior British alpine skiers, cross-country skiers, freestyle skiers and snowboarders in the country, and the organisation will be capable of successfully fulfilling its mandate, with a strong foundation and state-of-the-art governance structure.[/b]