Sportscotland (officially styled sport) (), formerly the Scottish Sports Council, is the
national agency for
sport in Scotland.
The Scottish Sports Council was established in 1972 by
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
. The body works in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations. As an
executive non-departmental public body of the
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
, Sportscotland advises ministers and implements government policy for sport and physical recreation. In 2002/03 sportscotland invested approximately £48 million of government grants and
lottery funds.
The organisation runs two national sport centres:
*
National Centre Inverclyde, near
Largs,
North Ayrshire, for the training of national squads, hosting championships and facilities for
boccia,
table tennis
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
,
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...
,
squash etc.
*National Centre Glenmore Lodge, in
Glenmore Forest Park near
Aviemore,
facilities for
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
,
rock climbing,
mountaineering
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
,
hill walking,
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
,
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian.
A few of the recreational ...
etc.
In 1998 Sportscotland took over responsibility for the Scottish Institute of Sport and created the
sportscotland institute of sport near the
University of Stirling. Sportscotland invests in the majority of national sports governing bodies in Scotland, such as
Scottish Athletics.
References
1972 establishments in Scotland
Organisations based in Scotland with royal patronage
Executive non-departmental public bodies of the Scottish Government
Scottish Government Learning and Justice Directorate
Government agencies established in 1972
Book publishing companies of Scotland
Organisations based in Glasgow
Physical education in the United Kingdom
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