Institutes of Sport
Scotland has a national Institute of Sport, and a network of six Area Institutes. 43 of the athletes in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games team were supported by the Scottish Institute of Sport, with a further 7 being supported by the Area Institutes.
The Scottish Institute of Sport is performance focussed, coach led and athlete centred and is dedicated to assisting over 240 of Scotland's top athletes in their quest for world class achievement. The institute provides individually tailored support programmes and services including sports science, medical support, nutrition, strength and conditioning, performance lifestyle guidance and expert technical coaching which are designed to enhance performance and create winners. The Institute is funded through sportscotland from the Lottery Sports Fund, and has been awarded £16m over the 4 year period to 2007.
The network of six Area Institutes (Highland, West of Scotland, East of Scotland, Central Scotland, Grampian, Tayside & Fife) are responsible for helping to develop the best coaches and emerging young athletes in their local area, and currently have over 260 athletes enrolled. They also offer career development and educational advice through the Performance Lifestyle programme and provide locally-based support services to our best athletes who are part of the Institute set-up. The Area Institutes receive between £120-210k per annum through sportscotland from the Lottery Sports Fund.
Further information on the Scottish and Area Institutes can be found at the Scottish Institute of Sport website ( www.sisport.com).