Grants to Support Olympic Dreams

After being postponed in 2020 due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, Tokyo will finally host the Summer Olympics. The Tokyo Games are the first postponement in the 124-year history of the modern Olympics. However, the upcoming games, from July 23 – August 8, still face many challenges.

As much of a dream as it is to go and compete at the Olympics, many athletes are hesitant about traveling and competing during the pandemic. Already, numerous athletes have tested positive for COVID, days before the opening ceremony. With international travel restrictions and regulations, there will also be few, if any, fans in attendance.

Due to health and safety concerns, many called for the games to be canceled, including the majority of Japanese citizens. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) moved forward to prevent billions of dollars needed to compensate for canceling the event. On the other hand, the upcoming Olympics may just be the solidarity we need to bring us together after the past few years of turmoil.

Hope for Future Olympic Athletes

Aspiring for the Olympics starts with our local communities encouraging sports. While few are aware, there are actually grants available to support athletes and sports programs. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below:

• Every child should have the opportunity to play a sport. This is why scholarships of $150 are now open to U.S families with children aged 4-18. This opportunity is to encourage sports participation from youth in income-restricted families.

• Funding is needed to help women continue to train and compete in professional sports. Grants of $10,000 are available to U.S female athletes for expenses related to childcare. Furthermore, this grant can be used for the costs of caregivers, meals and supplies, travel, and added costs of bringing children along to competitions.

• In-kind grants to are available to qualified U.S. coaches and instructors to equip new handball players. In 1972, indoor handball was first introduced into the Olympics. Funding is currently available to help create more interest in the sport.

• Up to $50,000 in funding is available to U.S. individuals to participate in horse riding events. The goal of the funding is to advance skills, inspire, and expand the knowledge of developing riders at the international level. Horse sports such as chariot and riding races were part of the early Olympic games. In modern times, the Olympics now has only three equestrian sports: dressage, show jumping and three-day eventing.

> Discover more grants for sports currently available at GrantWatch.com.

Good Luck to Our Teams!

Despite the controversies surrounding the current games, we look forward to the friendly competition between the nations. The Olympics can unite the country as a whole and bring a healthy distraction to the current climate. Moreover, it is great to be able to cheer on the sports we’ve long missed and celebrate a sense of normalcy. Good luck to our athletes in Tokyo!