Minister for Transport Shane Ross has revealed that the €1.5m extra in sports funding announced yesterday is the result of a €12m dividend to the State paid by the Irish Aviation Authority earlier this year.
Minister Ross made the announcement during the welcome home celebrations for the Irish women’s Hockey team who secured a silver medal at the World Championships in London.
In a statement, Mr Ross said that last week he agreed with Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe that €6m of the funds will be at the discretion of his department.
He also said he would announce the details of the distribution of the €1.5m as early as next Monday, once the board of Sport Ireland has considered and approved the allocations.
The statement also said the money would be spent by the beneficiaries in 2018.
Minister Ross said he was aware of the urgent need for funding for sports preparing for the World Championship finals and the Tokyo Olympics.
He said Sport Ireland was aware that certain sports, including hockey, are in need of additional funding.
The minister added that he expected the funding will be used for direct athlete support, competition support, Tokyo camps and preparations, High Performance programmes support and equipment.
