JUDY Murray is calling on businesses and philanthropists to give vital sponsorship to Scots badminton aces after their funding was slashed.
The mother of tennis champions Andy and Jamie Murray made the call as the World Badminton Championships begins in Glasgow on Monday, with high hopes for Scottish talent such as UK number one Kirsty Gilmour.
Ms Gilmour, from Bothwell, recently told how she lost £30,000 a year in expenses and saw her salary halved due to a funding shake-up, meaning she was forced to spend precious time between training sessions trawling the internet for cheap flights and scouting for sponsorship to make it possible to compete in tournaments around the world.
Badminton was among six sports to lose its Olympic funding earlier this year, despite reaching targets set by UK Sport in Rio.
Following a piece in The Herald in April, two sponsors came forward with financial support for the world number 26, who lives and trains in Glasgow.
And now Ms Murray, formerly Scotland’s national tennis coach, is urging other firms and foundations to consider funding the European and Commonwealth silver medallist and her elite colleagues, who are based at the national centre in Scotstoun, Glasgow, and include Scottish men’s number one Kieran Merrilees.
She told The Herald: “There must be many Scottish companies and philanthropists out there who would like to give an opportunity to a top Scottish badminton player. Sponsorship really matters.
“The last thing any athlete wants to be doing is worrying about booking cheap flights that get you there in the middle of the night, or cheap hotels in a noisy part of town that make it really difficult for you to sleep.
“I know from Andy and Jamie’s careers and from my time as a coach that if you can remove the little things that can become big problems, it can make all the difference.”
Ms Murray, a keen badminton fan who played to junior international level in her youth, is an ambassador for the Championships, which take place at the Emirates Stadium and will feature the cream of badminton talent from around the world.
“Constantly worrying about finances can put an immense amount of pressure on athletes and have a negative impact on their performance,” she added. “All their energy should be expended on giving their best on the court.
“At this stage of Kirsty’s career, where she’s doing so well, the last thing she needs is worry at the back of her mind about being able to afford to get to the next tournament.”
Ms Gilmour, 23, is working her way back to the top of the sport following knee surgery and is going into the World Championships in good form, seeded 16 after reaching the final of the Canadian Open and the semi-final of the US Open last month.
Window and door firm NorDan recently signed a sponsorship deal with the promising player, and she has also received funds from a family trust based in Kilmacolm.
“I honestly can’t thank my sponsors enough,” said Ms Gilmour. “In the last few months I’ve been competing in Indonesia, Australia, Canada and the US, so as you can imagine, the support has been absolutely vital.
“It has meant I’ve been able to focus primarily on what’s happening on the court, rather than spending my lunchtimes sending out emails and cultivating my CV to ask for help. I think it’s been a big factor in me getting my world ranking back up.
“I’ll be approaching the World Championship one match at a time, but it would be amazing if I could go out and do something special on home turf. To have the tournament here in Glasgow is just amazing and I love competing on the big stage.”
Alex Brown, managing director of NorDan UK, added: “After meeting Kirsty the decision to support her was an easy one.
“For a family company like NorDan, being able to encourage a young athlete like Kirsty is something we are very passionate about doing. We are delighted to provide the backing she needs to meet her immediate and future goals.”
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