Hugh Pritchard
Biathlete.co.uk

Sponsorship

Because of the very demanding nature of biathlon, it is not possible to train properly and work more than a couple of hours a day - and even that is hard. I therefore left my job in June 2000 to train in Germany, which left me very short of money.

The funding for my biathlon career comes from:

• My slender earnings as a very part-time accountant
• Private donations and minor sponsorship
• Sponsorship from the HAC

The HAC (Honourable Artillery Company) is my major sponsor. There are actually two HACs: one is a regiment of the Territorial Army, and the British Army's oldest regiment; the other is a private members' club, of which all members and most ex-members of the regiment are members. This private club owns the premises in the City of London that the regiment is based in, and supports the regiment and its members in their various doings, including my biathlon efforts. It also throws excellent parties and is a very convenient car-park.

The HAC's web-site is: www.hac.org.uk

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has granted me a 'BOA Scholarship', which is something that potential Olympians in unfunded sports are elegible for. That consists of a modest monthly stipend until the Olympics next year. Their web-site is at www.olympics.org.uk

Minor sponsors include:

• Robert Brett & Sons Ltd
• Lord Malmesbury's Bounty
• Various private benefactors

Training and Racing Costs

Some examples of the expenditure involved in my training and racing over the last year are:

• Services of Fritz Fischer as coach: DM250 (£85) per week
• Great Britain Team subscription: about £1,200 per year
• Use of the biathlon centre at Ruhpolding: DM 10 (£3) per day for the Summer
• New stock for my rifle: about £200
• Ski waxes for training and racing: around £400 for the season
• Pair of skis with bindings: £130 (at special price for unsponsored racers; I have 3 or 4 pairs of race-quality skis, and am always testing new skis to try to find faster ones; I ought to have at least 6 to cover the full range of conditions)
• Poles: £70/pair

These are of course in addition to my basic living expenses, which I also have to cover with no regular source of income.

Can you help?

Donations can be channelled through the Skiers Trust of Great Britain, a registered charity. This permits recovery of income tax when donations. Some employers also match charitable donations made by their employees, so that for example, a higher rate taxpayer can make a donation of £100, which takes £60 from their pocket and puts £100 into the Trust; the employer then donates a further £100, so that I benefit by £200 for an outlay of £60 from the donor. And of course £200 means far more to me than £60 does to the average higher rate taxpayer.

For details please click here to Email me.