The expanded commitment means that the Entain Foundation, the group’s not-of-profit, will have provided £500,000 (€584,158/$685,671) in funding to the charity by the 2024 Games in Paris, making Entain one of SportsAid’s largest corporate partners.]
Funds collected by SportsAid are used to support the development of British athletes and para-athletes.
The extension coincides with the start of this year’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where 165 of 227 members of the Paralympics GB squad have received some form of financial support and recognition from SportsAid during their careers.
Entain supports over 50 aspiring athletes a year across England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, with each athlete receiving annual financial support for training, competition, travel and equipment costs.
To date, the Entain-SportsAid partnership distributed over 150 athlete awards, including sponsorship and event fundraising, with Tokyo 2020 BMX Supercross silver medallist Bethany Shriever among those to benefit.
In addition to direct financial assistance, Entain works with SportsAid to supply athletes with recognition and personal development opportunities. This includes delivering workshops for the athletes and their parents and guardians, offering advice on topics such as nutrition, mental wellbeing and dealing with the media.
“Our collaboration with SportsAid is a huge source of pride for everyone at Entain and plays a pivotal role in supporting the next generation of British sporting heroes,” Entain’s group director of corporate affairs Grainne Hurst said.
SportsAid chief executive Tim Lawler added: “Entain’s extended commitment will take us all the way up to the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024 and comes at a very important time for talented young athletes – particularly following a challenging period over the last 18 months.
“Our partnership with Entain has continued to evolve year-on-year and the well-rounded support provided to these aspiring young sports stars gives them added confidence and motivation to pursue their ambitions.”
The SportsAid partnership forms part of the Entain Foundation’s wider multi-million-pound grassroots sports investment programme, which also includes the Pitching In football scheme that this month surpassed £1m in total funding from Entain.