Grants of €7.4m announced

Grants totalling €7.4 million were announced by the Irish Sports Council today with 16 sporting bodies receiving €5.12m for their high performance plans for 2009.

More than €2.2m was also awarded for athletes under the carding scheme, with boxing the most notable recipient as no fewer than six boxers, including Olympic medallists Kenny Egan and Paddy Barnes.

Women's lightweight champion Katie Taylor received the maximum contract grant of €40,000.

Details of the investment in high performance sport for 2009 were jointly announced by Mr Martin Cullen, TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Ossie Kilkenny, Chairman of the Irish Sport Council and John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council.

The support structure provided by the Irish Sports Council has three pillars. There is investment in Performance Plans developed and implemented by the target sports to cover every aspect of the training and competition at elite level from junior to world class athletes. The International Carding Scheme is a direct payment to athletes to support their commitment to full time sport. The Institute of Sport, operating at Abbotstown as a sub-committee of the Council, will deliver programmes to athletes and coaches in scientific, medical, coaching and lifestyle supports.

Following great success in 2008 boxing was the big winner with €1.1 million invested in high performance in 2009. Cricket will receive support for a Performance Plan for the first time following the progress made at the World Cup in 2007 and retaining the ICC Trophy in 2008.

The International Carding Scheme is well established and remains a central pillar of the support system. Athletes who performed well in Turin at the weekend are elevated with Mary Cullen at World Class and Kelly Proper at International Class for the first time.

This grant scheme is augmented by Performance Plans consisting of sport specific elite campaigns from junior to world class and resourced by the Irish Sports Council. Designed and implemented by a Performance Director, the plans cover training camps, competition requirements, coaching, sports science & medical support and equipment requirements.

Performance Directors ensure that the Carding Scheme and Performance Plans are complementary and, overseeing both schemes, support elite athletes are supported in financial and non-financial aspects of their programmes.

Kilkenny commented: 'Minister Cullen, and the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, are very supportive of our ongoing efforts to develop the high performance system. The Council thanks them for their efforts and is delighted to be in a position to invest substantially in high performance sport in 2009.'

Mr Cullen, TD, said; 'The 263 athletes and five teams supported directly under the Carding Scheme and the additional support for their National Governing Bodies (NGB) high performance plans, are crucial for everyone as they prepare for and participate in their sport at major international events during 2009. It is appropriate and important that this investment is continued.'

Treacy added: '2008 was a very successful year for Irish high performance sport with Olympic, Paralympic, World and European success, as well as the fantastic achievements in golf and cricket. As we build the high performance infrastructure in Ireland, we see sustainable and repeatable success across a number of sports. We believe that this represents a real return on State investment in elite sport.'

The Irish Sports Council recently published the Quadrennial High Performance Review, known as the Beijing Review. That document made a series of recommendations for the improvement of the high performance system in Ireland. The Council accepted the findings of the Review and has begun the process of implementing all the recommendations which are relevant to its operations.