British Airways will give a helping hand to more than 80 aspiring British Olympic athletes later this week as they jet off to a winter training camp in Saalfelden, Austria.

The athletes from all over the UK, will be taking part in a unique programme, jointly developed between the British Olympic Association and British Airways. The British Airways Olympic Futures initiative provides a platform for talented young athletes to develop their skills for future Olympic success.

The athletes, aged between 15 and 27, received a special message of support today from Sports Minister Kate Hoey. She said: “Our country’s future sporting success is dependent on our ability to develop our athletes at a young age. Initiatives such as these can play a vital role in ensuring that our young olympic hopefuls maximise their full potential”

British Olympic medallists Sharron Davies and Sean Olsson will attend the seven day camp to provide advice and motivation to help prepare the athletes for the ultimate sporting challenge in the world. Sharron said: “The British Airways camps give aspiring British athletes a much better chance of achieving future success. I only wish initiatives of this kind had been available to athletes of my generation”

The new winter sports training camp, the first of its kind in the British Airways Olympic Futures programme covers training for 13 winter sports disciplines including: bobsleigh, luge, snowboarding, skiing and ice hockey.

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