V.I. Olympic Committee Pleads for $500K Budget After 10 Months Without Funding, Citing Strain on Athlete Support and Operations

The Virgin Islands Olympic Committee is requesting an additional $200,000 over its recommended budget of $300,000 for FY2026, with VIOC president John Abramson Jr., defending the request before the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance on Wednesday.  “The government fundings are critical for the VIOC to continue to provide support to our 24 member federations as well as our elite athletes,” Mr. Abramson said. Federation budgets, he explained, total “over $2 million.” VIOC’s operating budget averages over $1 million annually. “We must selectively approve funding requests for our members because we have limited money,” Mr. Abramson said. VIOC also plans to hire additional administrative staff, which would necessitate additional funding. The Committee also directly supports the territory’s athletes across numerous sporting disciplines as they prepare for various tournaments. Elite athletes receive “training grants as they pursue their training to participate in qualifiers and...