Scottish fencer Jaimie Cook has been awarded Athlete Performance Award (APA) funding from UK Sport, recognising his continued progress and potential in Men’s Foil on the world stage.
Athlete Performance Awards are designed to support the UK’s most promising and high-performing athletes as they prepare for major international competitions, including European and World Championships and Olympic and Paralympic Games. The funding contributes towards training, coaching, competition, sports science, medical support and living costs, enabling athletes to focus fully on their performance and long-term development.
Following Jaimie’s 2024/25 season ending World Ranking of 31, British Fencing (BF) worked with UK Sport to apply for an APA Award based on his LA 2028 trajectory and the renewed APA framework updated by UK Sport in April 2025.
Jaimie’s award reflects his commitment, performances and potential within the British Fencing GBR Pathway, and represents an important step in supporting his progression at Senior international level.
Jaimie Cook says, “I’m incredibly grateful to have unlocked this funding at such a crucial stage of my career. It takes a huge amount of commitment to pursue fencing at the highest level, and this support allows me to fully focus on training, competing internationally, and pushing myself towards my ambition of qualifying for the Olympic Games and representing Great Britain. It means a lot to know that people believe in my potential and are willing to invest in my journey”
Dusty Miller, BF Head of Olympic Programme & Performance Coaching says, “This is great news for Jaimie and signals the potential for more of our performance athletes to take the next step towards Olympic qualification as they exit the GBR Pathway.
“BF is welcoming in a new era of performance with dedicated camps, funding opportunities and strategic delivery of GBR success and this news, coupled with the Paralympic Programme now being ensconced within British Fencing, provides Jaimie with an opportunity to explore and learn performance behaviours from the very best Fencing athletes in Gemma Collis, Dimitri Coutya and Piers Gilliver. The APA award is evidence of Jaimie’s commitment and potential and we look forward to supporting him on his journey to the podium.”
Sam McLellan, co-chair of Scottish Fencing said, “This is great news for Jaimie, and credit must also go to his coach Keith Cook and club Salle Hollyrood. This award demonstrates that our Scottish clubs and coaches continue to contribute to the overall Olympic ambition for Great Britain. Finally I’d like to thank the team at British Fencing who have worked hard to access this support”
Congratulations to Jaimie on this achievement.
More Information:
BF works with UK Sport to assess the programme needs of athletes with a demonstrable trajectory, intention and motivation to achieving medal success in 2028 and identify whether additional funding (including APAs) can be accessed to support these athletes. More information on how the GBR Pathway is funded can be found here.
BF contacts athletes when they become eligible. Further information on the criteria and award matrix will be published in 2026.
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