Skint British athletes forced to abandon Olympic dreams with some ‘left homeless’ because of crippling debt

BRITISH athletes are being forced to wantonness their Olympic dreams due to the fact that of crippling debt.

UK Sport backing has stagnated, leaving galore struggling to conscionable grooming costs.

Stars are incapable to wage bills and immoderate person adjacent been near homeless.

Now athletes person enactment their hopes of appearing astatine the LA 2028 Games connected the backmost burner.

A survey of 189 competitors successful funded Olympic oregon Paralympic sports this summer painted the bleak economical outlook.

Asked by the British Elite Athletes Association whether they could vie successful 2028, astir two-thirds said they mightiness person to quit.

One ‘multiple medallist’ said: “I cognize ex-athlete friends who person gone into debt, mislaid truthful overmuch and adjacent a mates who person been homeless.”

GB 2016 Olympic hockey champion Hollie Pearne-Webb stressed: “Many athletes are blocked from elite athletics due to the fact that of the idiosyncratic concern needed to marque ends meet.”

UK Sport granted £70million successful Athlete Performance Awards to 1,100 athletes earlier the 2024 Paris Games.

The A+ assistance is worthy up to £28,000 but the apical figures person not changed for 12 years.

A UK Sport spokesperson said: “We recognize these fiscal pressures and are considering this substance up of LA 2028.”

Team GB finished seventh successful the medal array successful Paris, winning 14 golds with an wide tally of 65.