Sport Ireland Welcomes Outstanding Summer of International Results

• 55 medals won at World or European competitions so far in 2018 in supported programmes
• Two significant international high performance events hosted in Ireland

The Board of Sport Ireland warmly welcomed the success of Irish athletes and teams and the hosting of major international events in 2018 at its meeting on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus today.

The Board commended the exceptional performances, with the historic achievement of the Women’s Hockey Team in reaching the final of the FIH World Cup in London and Rhys McClenaghan’s European Gymnastics gold bookending a particularly successful period for Irish athletes on the international stage.

Ireland has also hosted a number of significant international events this year, with the IPC European Para Swimming Championships being held in the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre and the World Amateur Team Golf Championships currently underway in Carton House.

Speaking after a recent meeting, Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, commented: “2018 has been an impressive year for our high performance system which was welcomed by the Board of Sport Ireland. The level of coverage across the sports has allowed the public to enjoy the success of our athletes, captured their imagination and generated significant excitement. Similarly, the hosting of major events is important for the high performance system and through the para swimming and golf, Ireland has shown it can host events to the highest possible standard.”

Glasgow and Berlin recently hosted a series of European Championships across a number of sports; athletics, triathlon, golf, gymnastics, aquatics and cycling. This new concept involved a number of European Federations working with the European Broadcasting Union to provide coverage of these events on free-to-air television. Overall, 18 top eight finishes were achieved across five sports, which showcased a wide spectrum of talent and future potential to a large Irish and international audience.

Mr Mulvey continued:“The European Championships is an excellent initiative which gave a platform for Irish sports to show how competitive they can be in front of a big audience. The medal performances of Paul O’Donovan & Gary O’Donovan, Shane Ryan, Thomas Barr and Rhys McClenaghan were all shown live on TV in Ireland. The extensive coverage provided by RTة gave wide and deserved exposure to the achievements of Irish athletes.”

Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, John Treacy, added: “The growing spread of performances across the high performance sports is demonstrating how the system is continuing to develop as it has in recent years. With many of our athletes being guided by Irish coaches, utilising the facilities and expertise of the Sport Ireland Institute and training on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus, Ireland is now well placed to continue this level of success and win significant medals across multiple disciplines.”

The recently published National Sports Policy (2018-2027) includes a target of securing more targeted high performance funding to deliver more Olympic and Paralympic medals - from the securing of 13 medals in 2016 to a target of 20 in 2028. To support this, the Policy outlines a plan to seek additional funding for high performance sport.

Mr. Treacy added: “The recent publication of the National Sports Policy is a welcome development and the ambitious targets outlined for high performance sport and the intention to seek additional funding for high performance sport is welcome. This increased investment, along with the new developments on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus and evolution of the services provided by the Sport Ireland Institute, means we have a bright future to look forward to in the coming years.”

“We look forward to a number of key events coming up in the near future, including World Equestrian Games in the USA later this month, the Gymnastics World Championships in Doha in October and the Boxing World Championships in India in November.”

To support High Performance Sports in 2018, Sport Ireland has invested over €7.2m in National Governing Bodies high performance programmes, a further €1.9m in direct athlete investment through the International Carding Scheme and an additional €1.5m to support Irish preparations for major World Championships and the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Furthermore, the Sport Ireland Institute continues to enhance the system by providing world class expertise and performance services to support our elite athletes, coaches, and performance directors.

Tokyo Cycle

127 medals won to date in the Tokyo cycle (2017-2020)
Number relates to medals won at World or European Championship level (or equivalent international pinnacle)
This does not include international medals and significant results achieved outside of these events; however, these results are tracked by Sport Ireland

Achievements in 2018

• Paralympics Ireland has won 15 medals including 10 gold. Cycling (3), swimming (3) and athletics (9)
• The IABA has 10 medals including 2 senior women’s European medals and 8 underage World and European medals
• Athletics Ireland has won 8 medals including Thomas Barr at the European Championships and 7 at underage World and European championships
• Horse Sport Ireland has won 7 medals at underage European Championships
• Pentathlon has won 3 medals at senior World and European Championships
• Rowing has won 3 medals including a silver for the Lightweight Pair at the European Championships and 2 at underage European Championships
• Cycling, Sailing and Rugby 7s have won a medal at European underage championships (3), while Sailing also won a gold medal at U23 World Championships level
• Hockey, and Canoeing have all won medals at Senior World or European Championships level (2)
• Gymnastics, Swimming and Golf have all won medals at Senior European Championships level (3)

Upcoming Events in 2018:

Golf

World Amateur Team Championships 29/08/2018 – 8/09/2018

Carton House, Co. Kildare

Horse Sport

World Equestrian Games 10/09/2018 – 23/09/2018

Tryon, USA

Rowing

World Championships 09/09/2018 – 16/09/2018

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Youth Olympic Games

Buenos Aires, Argentina 06/10/2018 – 18/10/2018

Gymnastics

World Championships 25/10/2018 – 3/11/2018

Doha, Qatar

Badminton

World Junior Championships 5/11/2018 -18/11/2018

Markham, Canada

Boxing

Women’s World Boxing Championships 15/11/2018 – 24/11/2018

New Delhi, India

Swimming

World Short Course Championships 11/12/2018 – 16/12/2018

Hangzhou, China

Athletics

European Cross Country Championships 9/12/2018

Tilburg, Netherlands