SportsAid Scotland was originally known as Scottish Sports Aid Foundation, which was founded in 1980. In 1984 Scottish Sports Aid Trust was established, achieving Charitable status, and later took over the work of the Foundation, thereby continuing to provide much needed financial support to talented youngsters who have the potential to represent Scotland in their chosen sport. Scottish Sports Aid changed its name to SportsAid Scotland on 1 January 2014.
Since 1980, SportsAid Scotland has made more than 5,100 individual awards, totalling in excess of £3.1 million. In 2013, 250 athletes from over 30 sports and disciplines, received grant awards totalling over £230,000.
At the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, two Scots won gold medals. Both of them, Sir Chris Hoy and Shirley Robertson had received grants from SportsAid Scotland in their early years.
At the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, former recipients of SportsAid Scotland grants won a total of 19 medals for Scotland, including David Carry, double gold medallist, Alison Shepherd and Susan Hughes, gold medallists.
At the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, Sir Chris Hoy won three gold medals, making him Scotland's most successful ever Olympian.
At the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, Jennifer McIntosh won two gold medals and a bronze medal in the shooting events, while David Carry won one silver and one bronze medal at swimming and Charline Joiner won a cycling silver medal. Jennifer, David and Charline have all been supported by SportsAid Scotland grants.
At the 2012 Olympic Games, 17 former recipients of SportsAid Scotland grants featured in Team GB, and these included London 2012 double gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy, fellow gold medallists Katherine Grainger (rowing) and Tim Baillie (slalom canoe), and silver medallists David Florence (slalom canoe), Luke Patience (sailing) and Michael Jamieson (swimming).
At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow two years later, almost 30 of the Scottish medallists - including Eilidh Child, Lynsey Sharp, Charlie Flynn, Daniel Purvis and Sarah Clark - had been recipients of SportsAid Scotland grants.
SportsAid Scotland's influence was evident at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with 34 of the 47 Scots involved having received funding through the charity, over 70 percent. At the Paralympics in the same city, over 80 percent of the Scots competing were SportsAid Scotland alumni.
At the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia two years later, 84 of the 134 Scots who competed in the individual events had received SportsAid Scotland funding and, of the record 44 medals won, 29 were secured by athletes backed by the charity.