Hockey the big winners as high-performance teams get cash boost
Seventeen Irish sporting organisations received welcome news yesterday with the announcement that Sport Ireland’s board approved an additional €1.5 million in high-performance funding.
The monies will assist with preparations for major events until 2020, with each national governing body set to receive between €20,000 and €500,000.
The latter figure is set to go to Hockey Ireland and is almost three times that of any other sport, with Horse Sport Ireland set to receive €175,000, Swim Ireland and Gymnastics Ireland €75,000, while Athletics Ireland and the Irish Athletic Boxing Association will get €50,000 apiece.
In the world of high-performance sport, such figures can ring with a hollow feel to most of the general public, who may justifiably wonder just where exactly all that finance filters down to, but there’s no doubt that yesterday’s decision will have a huge influence on the field of play.
Hockey Ireland’s generous allocation comes off the back of the extraordinary run to the World Cup final by the women’s team, with Sport Ireland hoping the increased revenue will now allow both men’s and women’s teams to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The Olympic and Paralympic squads in 2020 are also set to benefit, with an additional €175,000 available for the Olympic Council of Ireland and €100,000 going to Paralympics Ireland.
In early 2018, Sport Ireland identified an immediate need for investment in order to offset the high costs associated with qualifying and preparing for 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo and participation in other key World Championship events,” said John Treacy, CEO of Sport Ireland.
“We look forward to seeing a return on this much needed investment in the years ahead.”
Hockey Ireland, €500,000; Olympic Council of Ireland, €175,000; Paralympics Ireland, €100,000; Horse Sport Ireland, €175,000; Swim Ireland, €75,000; Gymnastics Ireland, €75,000; Athletics Ireland, €50,000; Irish Athletic Boxing Association, €50,000; Cycling Ireland, €40,000; Rowing Ireland, €40,000; Irish Sailing Association, €40,000; Badminton Ireland, €25,000; Irish Judo Association, €25,000; Cricket Ireland, €40,000; Confederation of Golf in Ireland, €40,000; Taekwondo (Olympic), €20,000; Triathlon Ireland, €30,000.
