ISC announces €7.285m funding for elite athletes
PRESS RELEASE: HIGH PERFORMANCE SPORT February 28, 2007.
IRISH SPORTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES €7.285 MILLION PACKAGE
15 focus sports will receive €5.245 million for their high performance plans
Athletes and teams will receive €2.04 million under the Carding Scheme
Ireland’s elite athletes have received a timely boost as they prepare for an intense year of competition at World and European level with the announcement today by the Irish Sports Council that it is to invest €7.285 million in Performance Plans and in direct financial support to athletes.
Derval O’Rourke, Kenneth Egan and Lightweight Four rowers were among those elevated to the top category of Contracted World Class, recognition of their outstanding championship performances in 2006 and confirming their status as Ireland’s top international performers. The athletes qualifying criteria include 11 Contracted, 16 World Class and 61 International Class. Other recent innovations on the Scheme, such as bonus payments, inclusion of teams and development and junior squads, have been retained.
The overall investment is an increase of €1 million on the equivalent programmes in 2006. The sports of rowing, hockey, athletics and boxing received the biggest investment in performance plans for 2006, reflecting their extensive plans for 2007 and their potential as international championship performers.
In front of an audience of athletes and performance directors, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr. John O’Donoghue TD, made the announcement, the package which comprises €5.245 million for high performance plans and €2.04 million under the International Carding Scheme.
“2006 was a very good year for Irish sport. The establishment of the Irish Institute of Sport was a significant milestone in our plans to produce sporting champions for Ireland. Today’s announcement is another example of our commitment to invest in our elite athletes and to assist them in every way as they strive to realize their potential”, said Minister O’Donoghue.
The Irish Sports Council has worked in close collaboration with the new Irish Institute of Sport and the governing bodies of sport in making the €7.285 million investment. The Institute, which is responsible for direct service delivery to elite athletes and sports, is currently functioning within the Council and will take on an increasingly independent operational role as the year progresses.
Ossie Kilkenny Chairman of the Irish Sports Council, commented: “€7.285 million is significant investment by the Council. It is based on improvements being made in elite sport over the past number of years. Critically the Institute is developing close collaborative relationships with governing bodies and athletes that directly meet the needs of the best performers. Sean Kelly will nurture a high performance system that is specific to Ireland and deliver the best possible results from our talent pool”.
When legislation is passed the Institute will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Council which will fund the Institute and retain oversight of strategy and policy.Sean Kelly, Executive Director of the Irish Institute of Sport said at the launch event: “The Institute will be working with top quality athletes, coaches and performance directors who have a clear vision of what they require, what they can achieve and what we can deliver for them. The Institute enjoys a remarkable level of support within the system and, based on my experiences over the past few months, there is a lot that we can do together to help this generation of Irish athletes perform at elite level”
The Performance Plans focus on the employment of world class support personnel and on identified international championship events. Performance Directors oversee both investments which are complementary and ensure that all athletes are supported in financial and non-financial aspects of their programmes.
John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council, speaking at the event, said “We saw many excellent performances in 2006 at championship level across a number of sports. That was thrilling to see and very encouraging for the future. The squads we are investing in today have plenty of internal competition, more reasons to be optimistic for the future”.
Key events for 2007 which are targeted in the various plans include
- The World Boxing Championships, Moscow, September
- The World Athletics Championships, Osaka, August
- The World Rowing Championships, Munich, August
- The SAF World Championship regatta, Cascais, Portugal, June & July
- The Canoe Slalom World Championships, Brazil, August
- The Hockey European Championships (men &Women), Manchester, August
Contracted Athletes
Derval O’Rourke, Athletics, World Indoor Champion, European Silver Medalist
Kenneth Egan, Boxing, European Bronze Medalist
Katie Taylor, Boxing, World and European Champion
Lightweight Four, Rowing, World Cup Champions, World Championship bronze
Paul Griffin, Richard Archibald, Eugene Coakley, Gearoid Towey & Tim Harnedy
Jason Smyth, Paralympic Athletics, Double World Champion
Michael McKillop, Paralympic Athletics, World Champion, World Silver
John McCarthy, Paralympic Athlete, World Bronze
Note 1: The Equestrian Federation of Ireland support is not announced today, awaiting the establishment of Horse Sport Ireland:
Note 2. The Olympic Council of Ireland funding will be announced shortly.
Note 3. The Paralympic Council for Ireland funding is in addition to funding announced on February 15 for core PCI activities
Further information from
Paul McDermott Irish Sports council 087-6486295
Ian McClure O’Herlihy Communications 01-6602744
Attached:
Details of 2007 Performance Plans
Details of 2007 International Carding Scheme
Irish Institute of Sport: Update