Recognition for Chess in Scotland

[HLang]

I've just been reading about how in 1998 Graeme Obree, double world champion and multiple world record breaking cyclist, was waiting to hear what grant he would get to help him prepare for the Commonwealth Games. He had recently got very close to his own Scottish 10 mile record - in the off season. But 10 years before the Beijing Olympics, cycling in Britain didn't have anything like the profile that is has now:

The total living expenditure of my grant for Commonwealth Games living expenses was £460. I was pretty dumped to say the least, to think that over the year I was worth less than £10 per week... I could not help thinking about those with a good salary who would be soaking up the praise for good management of their funds if I won the medals I hoped to.

-- "The Flying Scotsman", Graeme Obree