This was announced yesterday by Skeggs Foundation chairman David Skeggs and Sport Otago chief executive John Brimble.
‘‘We will be working with the Skeggs Foundation in providing support for Otago's elite athletes who are representing us at the highest levels at national and international arenas,'' Brimble told the Otago Daily Times.
The Skeggs Foundation was founded in 1993 with the specific aim of providing financial assistance to elite Otago athletes to help them attain their goals and offset the disadvantages of geographic location.
Steve Davie, the first chief executive, filled that role for eight years, from September 1993 until August 2001. This period was noted for successful fund raising lunches with a guest speaker.
The Sports Hall of Fame took charge from September 2001, with Ron Palenski as the chief executive.
Skeggs said that the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame decided to discontinue its role earlier this year and the position was advertised.
Sport Otago has decided not to have a chief executive and is currently interviewing applicants for the position of programme administrator to oversee the Skeggs Foundation programme.
‘‘We are adopting a team approach,'' Brimble said. ‘‘We will host four events each year when grant recipients are announced.
‘‘This is an exciting new development for Sport Otago and we aim to build on the high standards set by Ron Palenski and Steve Davie.''
Skeggs said that Sport Otago won the contract because of its network throughout Otago.
‘‘It was probably more Dunedin focused in the past,'' Skeggs said.
Sport Otago intends to host two lunches each year when athletes receiving grants will be recognised. The two early evening events will honour the coaches who are grant recipients.
The Skeggs Foundation aims to foster sport in Otago by helping fund potential national and international champions. It has pumped $2 million into the region since 1993.
In its first 14 years, the Skeggs Foundation backed a large number of promising Otago sportsmen and women. But it changed its criteria in March 2007. There are now two elements to the grants round.
Category 1 grant recipients have a world ranking of 10 or better, or assumed equivalent; have the potential to reach an Olympic Games final, or equivalent; have the potential to be a Commonwealth Games medallist; have significant achievement at world under-23 or junior level, or equivalent; or be an established member of a national team of sporting significance to New Zealand, eg. netball, rugby, cricket, league.
Category 2 requirements are proven performance at age grade, secondary school or university level; established senior provincial team membership; the potential to progress to significant national or international ranking; or the potential to progress to national teams of significance.
The changes to the grants were designed to make more meaningful contributions to athletes of a high standard.
The change has worked. Hamish Bond, the recipient of a special grant last year, stroked the New Zealand four to a gold medal at the world rowing championships in Munich last year.
Bond will stroke the four at the Beijing, and the crew is a medal prospect at the Olympics.
The other Otago Olympians at Beijing - Alison Shanks and Greg Henderson (cycling), sisters Nina and Lisa Daniels (synchronised swimming) and Suzie Bates (basketball) - are all recipients of Skeggs Foundation grants.
The Skeggs Foundation also supports elite coaches with the assistance of the Community Trust of Otago.
Local sponsors have helped the Skeggs Foundation raise its annual grant fund from an initial $100,000 a year to $200,000. The Mobil fuel card is a successful fund-raising tool.
The first luncheon for recipients will be held at the Heritage Room in the Southern Cross Hotel on April 30. The guest speaker will be Raylene Bates, the manager of the New Zealand athletics team at Beijing.
