BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL
A female British wrestler is campaigning for more funding to aid her wrestling career after struggling to support herself without aid. 25 year Old Chloe Spliteri has been British champion for 3 consecutive years yet still has to fund herself for trips abroad. Spliteri told eye of media ” In most sports, you get to compete a lot to get to a standard where you have proved yourself in order to get funding to compete abroad. However, the standards here are low and limited because I win every fight with a technical fall(equivalent of knock out) I think the governing bodies need to do a bit more to promote the sport. It;’s not my fault if I keep winning all my fights, I should get support in order to get more training abroad
The British Wrestling Association had its £1.4million funding removed because of the failure of its athletes to meet a required standard, but then had £850,0000 injected into the sport, none of which Chloe has benefited from. ‘They are only funding them at junior level not the seniors, she says. Wrestling needs more role models in the sport, if I were supported I will be able to set up clubs and improve the popularity of the sport. I have made many sacrifices to improve my career but don’t feel like I am getting the support I need
I went back to school after missing so many vital education years and carried out over 3000 hours of voluntary work. This included coaching at play schemes, sitting as chair on funding panels which distributed over a 1/4 million pound, representing the borough at youth parliament, helping at youth clubs, and more. I competed in many sports at all levels for the school and borough.
Chloe also won many awards including head teachers special recognition award – the only female in the whole school to be awarded for recognition of her hard work before she moved to University, where she also won the student of the year awards. In the later years when at university I was one of the Spirit of London awards finalist and only female finalist of the series so far for achievement through sport award, nominated for millennium of the volunteer award for the London region and made the finals, won excellent in cities awards and much more.
She further completed a number of sporting qualifications ‘I have achieved lifeguard, level one football coach, level 2 community sports leaders award, spinning level 2, personal training level 3, how to coach disabled people qualifications and much more.
In her first year of university, she was selected to take part in a year long channel 4 documentary highlighting a big year in her life. The programme was called Yeardot. She explains ”They followed me online through blogs video diaries and three tv shows throughout the year following me on my journey as me starting university after everything I had been through. It was a big thing for me, especially as I had not long started wrestling too. Through this tv show I was also talent spotted for the uni to play first team rugby even though I had never played in my life but they saw that wrestling skills could be transferable. I then played for the top team in the country Richmond and the university team making the team everyday and started every game.
A natural leader and achiever, this proactive woman was made student rep and also became student ambassador throughout her duration as a student at University. She has recently been appointed as an ambassador for the spirit of London awards, Skills Active, and most recently, Commonwealth Games team England ambassador amongst top elite athletes like Tom Daley, James Cracknel etc.
A woman of real quality and achievement, she has the makings of a true leader and role model for young females. The problem, as she states is that wrestling is not really promoted in this country. Women’s wrestling especially has not been popularized at all. Yet, Chloe is confident she can bring that popularity to the sport. ”All I need is help to get more exposure abroad.It’s ahrd doing all this on my own.
”It has been a privilege attending some big events including team England’s champions dinner. I was invited as a guest speaker at a big NGO meeting at Pall Mall Oct 2013 in front of top leaders in the world including CEO of Unisef etc, was on bbe radio 5 live with other Olympians at the Barton relay launch of the commonwealth games in front of Buckingham Palace and more.
Chloe now works a PE teacher, teaching in Hackney borough to support her wrestling ambitions. I have to self fund everything so I’m also planning to set up my own wrestling camps and clubs . Eye of Media contacted the British Wrestling Association for an explanation of Chloe’s plight and why she is getting no help, but we got no response.
It seems a big shame for someone who has achieved so much to be left out without funding. Chloe Spliteri definitely has so much to give.