Guild Bobsleigh athlete in Olympic Bid

Guild member 18 year old Éire Rowland-Evans (2018-2020, Bayshill) from Gloucester, is appealing to businesses and potential sponsors to help her move forward with her bid for Olympic selection.

Last year Éire competed for the British Bobsleigh Youth team at International level and finished the season with a World Ranking of 20th, with her Youth Olympic bid cut short by breaking her collar-bone in training. Now on the Ladies Development team, this Olympic round, bobsleigh received minimal funding and so Éire will have to self-fund her time on ice.

“I am currently at University in Swansea and all my time is spent studying or training, my parents have helped as much as they can, but with my father being chronically ill this has been hard on them. As an elite athlete I am permitted to still travel for international competitions, but presently am unable to afford to do so. Bobsleigh is an expensive sport. I was hoping to continue Monobob (as it is making its debut at the 2022 Olympics) but as it’s a new discipline you have to buy your own sled at around £25,000! Whereas with two woman you can rent a sled for under £1,000. I’m very grateful to Eddie Edwards for supporting me, we actually have a lot in common coming from the same part of the world, both very much the underdogs and both without funding to pursue our dreams”

Ski jump legend ‘Eddie the Eagle’ who famously trained using homemade equipment to make his Olympic dream a reality understands what it’s like to struggle in the expensive field of Winter Sports. “Competing in sport at International level is expensive, but winter sports even more so, Éire has great talent, and a realistic chance of realising her dream of competing for Team GB at the Winter Olympics. I hope businesses in Gloucestershire and the UK can help put winter sports back in the spotlight... best of luck Éire... I'll give you a push!"

Read all about Éire at the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association:
https://www.thebbsa.co.uk/the-team/directory/eire-rowland-evans

If you would like to support Éire, no matter how small, please donate to her GoFundMe page by clicking here.