Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 21 Oct 1998

Vol. 495 No. 5

Written Answers. - Sports Funding.

Mary Coughlan

Question:

26 Ms Coughlan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the reason, if any, the Olympic Council of Ireland gave as to its refusal to accept funding from the Sports Council to support the sending of a team to the Youth Olympic Games in Moscow. [20525/98]

Sean Fleming

Question:

39 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the funding sought by the Olympic Council of Ireland from his Department in 1997 and 1998 regarding the participation of Irish junior and youth teams and individuals in Olympic Youth Games. [20526/98]

Cecilia Keaveney

Question:

52 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the Olympic Council of Ireland's financial contribution towards Olympic Youth Events. [20523/98]

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Dr. McDaid)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 39 and 52 together.

Most recently, the Olympic Council of Ireland applied for State funding in respect of two Olympic youth events — the European Youth Olympic Days in Lisbon in July 1997 and the World Youth Olympics in Moscow in July 1998. I outline hereunder the details of both applications.

In October 1996 the Olympic Council of Ireland sought funding of £65,000 from the Department of Education to meet the full cost of sending a team of 75 athletes and 35 officials to the European Youth Olympic Days in Lisbon. In March 1997 the Department of Education approved a grant of £45,000 towards the cost of participation in the event. The Olympic Council of Ireland submitted a financial statement to my Department in April 1998 which showed the final cost for the event at £45,344.60, implying a net financial contribution from the Olympic Council of Ireland of £344.60p.

In October 1997 the Olympic Council of Ireland requested 100 per cent funding of £97,500 from my Department to send a team of 104 competitors and 34 officials to the inaugural World Youth Olympics in Moscow in July 1998. The Olympic Council indicated that it had no funds at its disposal to meet the cost of participation in the event and that the sending of the team would be subject to the State meeting the entire cost. The amount requested was subsequently increased to £147,500 by the OCI — the additional £50,000 to meet the cost of sports gear.

The application was considered at a meeting of the high performance advisory committee of the Irish Sports Council held on 10 December 1997. A representative of the Olympic Council of Ireland attended this meeting to make a presentation on the application. Based on the information provided, the high performance advisory committee recommended to me the allocation of a grant of £50,000 or 75 per cent of the costs involved, whichever is the lesser, subject to a more detailed cost analysis of the event when the teams had been identified, specification of criteria for the selection of the teams, and details of the preparations by the teams for the event.

I accepted this recommendation and I wrote to the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland on 19 December 1997 informing him of my decision. On 20 February 1998 I received a letter from the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland indicating that the offer of grant aid was inadequate and that they had no option but to withdraw from participation in the World Youth Games.

In May 1998 the Olympic Council of Ireland included the same request for funding — £147,500 — for the World Youth Games as part of their own 1998 grant application. No further details regarding the event were, however, supplied. When informing the Olympic Council of Ireland of its grant allocation for 1998 in a letter of 6 July, my Department reiterated the offer of grant aid for the World Youth Games. However, the OCI again chose not to take up the offer.

I should point out that at no stage was I or my Department informed by the Olympic Council that it was, after all, sending a team to compete in the Moscow Games, albeit with a reduced number of athletes. Nor have I been made aware of the size of the team which attended the games, of the cost incurred by the OCI in sending the team or how it funded the cost.

I have recently received a detailed application for grant aid from the Olympic Council of Ireland in respect of the European Youth Olympics to be held in Esbjerg, Denmark in July 1999. Again the OCI is seeking full State support for the event — £87,665 including £26,522 in respect of gearclothing. This application has been submitted to the high performance advisory committee of the Irish Sports Council for consideration. I hope to be in a position to convey a decision regarding grant aid to the Olympic Council very shortly.