It's the colour of money for the Olympics

The New Zealand Sports Foundation has announced a $1 million boost in funding for Olympics-bound athletes.

The Government money will be divided among athletes and teams who have qualified for Sydney in September.

Foundation chief executive Chris Ineson said athletes and teams who have received limited support, such as the men's basketball side, would get help, as would volunteer coaches who are part of a sport's accredited team.

Ineson said each person would receive $3000 towards training preparations for the Games. Other athletes would be awarded grants as they qualified during the year.

The foundation's high performance unit, which targets the nation's top medal prospects, will allocate the balance of the funds for its Olympic campaign. The extra funds will be used by athletes for training camps, international competition, extra coaching, sports science and medicine support.

The nation's Paralympic athletes will receive a bulk grant of about $200,000.

- NZPA