I have an opening statement and thank the committee for the opportunity to address it today. The public is passionate about sport and cares deeply about our athletes and how they perform on the world stage. It is important that you, as public representatives, understand the supports put in place to ensure that our athletes can reach their potential on the world stage.
The Irish Sports Council was established in 1999. Part of its remit is to encourage the achievement of excellence in sport. The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games followed shortly after our establishment. The Irish performances at those games were generally perceived as being sub-standard, despite Sonia O'Sullivan's outstanding silver medal, and symptomatic of failings within the Irish sports system.
At the request of the then Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Deputy McDaid, the Irish Sports Council undertook a review of Ireland's performance at Sydney 2000. Carried out by an independent, international consultancy the Sydney review made 29 recommendations. These recommendations represent the basis for the majority of the high performance programmes run by the Irish Sports Council since 2000.
There were two key strands within the review. First, there was a focus on athlete preparation and second, there was analysis of relationships that existed between the various bodies and agencies involved in the Olympic team preparation. Among the recommendations was the requirement to establish multi-sport training camps, which would allow athletes to prepare for the Olympic village. There was also a directive to establish a clear and transparent process for team management appointments by each governing body. Focus also centred on the role of the Olympic Council of Ireland over the critical last two weeks of preparation leading into the games.
Some 28 of the 29 recommendations were put in place. A decision was taken not to move forward with the 29th, which was the establishment of an Irish hospitality suite in Athens. The implementation of these recommendations represents a critical step forward for Irish Olympic sport for the future, Ireland now has a framework for Olympic preparation and the establishment of key relationships will ensure the excellent progress continues.
A key recommendation from the Sydney review was the requirement of the Irish Sports Council to develop a high performance strategy. Published in December 2001 it recognised that Ireland's approach to elite sport was falling behind most of its competitors and there was a need for a co-ordinated and strategic approach to create real long-term improvement.
The Government endorsed the high performance strategy with additional funding of €3 million to ensure its implementation in 2002. The council established a new high performance unit to deliver on the key aspects of the Sydney review and the high performance strategy. The unit established high performance programmes within targeted Olympic sports to ensure that all our elite athletes achieve their full potential at world level.
A key outcome and notable success of the review was the establishment of the Olympic performance committee and Paralympic performance committee. The committees were set up to ensure the most effective co-ordination of activity to support the performance of Irish teams through their preparation and training for the games. The committees met on a monthly basis and functioned as jointly chaired working sessions. The focus of these committees was on preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic games and covered specific areas such as training and pre-training camps, heat and environment strategies, and continuity of care for athletes.
It is anticipated that given the success of the committees, they will reconvene later this year and focus their efforts on Beijing 2008. I want to pay tribute to the Paralympic Council of Ireland for the huge effort it has put in over the past three years.
At the end of 2001 it was clear that an additional funding scheme was required to enable our athletes to compete at the highest level in Athens. The Athens enhancement programme was established in 2002 to channel investment directly to those sports and individuals likely to be competing at the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic games. The funding provided was immediately targeted at sports best placed to perform well in Athens. Specifically, professional world-class support staff, for example coaches, were hired to ensure our athletes were training and competing at the highest possible level.
The planning process was a critical component of the Athens enhancement programme and all governing bodies in receipt of funding were required to complete performance plans. Performance directors were employed by the sports to ensure the complete delivery of the performance plans.
For the first time, sports were required to establish elite squads with a view to Athens. The plans also required the establishment of competition and sport science programmes. Training camps were established in Seville, Cyprus, Zagreb and Northern Greece. These camps allowed athletes to maintain high level training and competition while acclimatising to conditions similar to those in Athens. The planning process involved detailed discussions between the performance directors and the council. The squads developed clear performance targets and were supported by directly employed professional coaches and support staff. A key element of the process was the full integration of sport science into performance plans. The National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick was centrally involved in the delivery of sports science services. Total funding for Olympic sport over the three year period was over €7.7 million. This includes payments of €695,000 to the PCI and €1.44 million to the OCI. A detailed breakdown by individual sport is detailed in the document we have provided to the committee. The performance planning process represents a key step forward for Irish Olympic sport and will be the basis for future athlete preparation as we target Beijing and beyond.
The council is also committed to providing individual athlete support through the international carding scheme. The scheme was introduced in 1998 to provide a range of supports, both financial and non-financial, to assist Ireland's most talented athletes to realise their potential at the highest international levels. The majority of participants in Athens have been supported on the scheme since their days in the junior ranks and it is to be hoped that athletes supported on this year's junior and development categories will be representing Ireland in Beijing and beyond.
Criteria for qualification onto the scheme are agreed on a sport by sport basis with the relevant NGB, national governing body. Any athlete who meets the criteria is automatically included on the scheme. The scheme provides financial support to those athletes who need such assistance to meet necessary out-of-pocket expenses related to training, coaching, competition and general living expenses not otherwise covered by their NGB. A key feature of the scheme is the provision of a network of service providers nationally and internationally. Elite competitors have access to top quality science and medical support adjacent to their training base. All carded athletes are entitled to access to these services free of charge. Payments to athletes in 2004 were in excess of €2 million.
There were two stated ambitions in advance of Athens 2004. First, we made a commitment that the Irish team would be the best prepared ever and this was accomplished. Each performance plan was implemented satisfactorily and ensured that our team was significantly better prepared than any of its predecessors. This was achieved by reforming the key relationships involved in that preparation.
Second, we intended to improve on our Sydney performance with a view to Beijing and beyond. On close examination the Irish Olympic team produced some exceptional results. Cian O'Connor led the way with an individual gold medal. This alone would put us ahead of Sydney but the improvements ran much deeper. Kevin Babbington had a fifth place finish and was unlucky not to medal in the same event. Ciarán Power had an excellent ride in the cycling road race finishing in 13th place. Derek Burnett finished 7th in shooting, which was an improvement from 18th place in Sydney. This reflects well on the training programmes put in place. It should also be noted that Ireland had a number of young athletes competing who will reach their best in Beijing. Notable among these were Adrian O'Dwyer in athletics, Alistair Cragg in athletics and Andy Lee in boxing, who are all potentially in the mix for Beijing.
It is acknowledged that there were a number of performances that were disappointing and no one feels that more than the athletes themselves. However, the Irish Sports Council is satisfied that the steps it has taken since Sydney have supported our athletes in a meaningful way. Indeed, Sam Lynch, the world lightweight rowing champion, described it best when he stated that a high performance system has been put in place that supports Irish athletes with expertise, services and finance; it allows him to focus on his rowing, a significant and welcome advance.
At the Paralympics, Ireland produced a very satisfactory performance; four medals, three silver and one bronze, met expectations set prior to the games and the team also recorded ten personal bests, two season's best and one world record. It should be noted that there was a 50% increase in the number of athletes competing since Sydney and the volume of world and Paralympic records points to ever increasing standards at Paralympic level. Through targeted performance planning, however, Ireland is well placed to maintain its place in the medal rankings in Beijing.
It should also be noted that Irish athletes supported by the system described above have recorded outstanding performances at world-class level in boxing, rowing, sailing, athletics, shooting, cycling and Paralympic sport since 2002.
As it considers its preparations for Beijing the council, in conjunction with the OCI and PCI, has already commissioned the Athens review. This review will analyse Ireland's performance at the Athens games and assess the improvement in structures and overall preparation of the Olympic and Paralympic teams. A steering group, chaired by Dan Flinter, is in place and an outside consultant has been appointed. The findings and outcomes of the Athens review will feed into the quadrennial plan for Beijing, which is currently being developed by all the relevant organisations. All work carried out on the quadrennial plan will be in partnership with the OCI and PCI. The aim of the review is to produce an independent assessment of the preparation and performance of the Irish teams at the Athens Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2004. It will also identify the strengths and weaknesses of all aspects of the programmes throughout the four-year cycle. It is expected the review will detail specific recommendations regarding the development of a programme for Beijing in 2008 and that the report will be published by the end of the year.
In summary, we believe that significant progress has been made since Sydney 2000. We understand the concerns expressed by many as the Athens games progressed. There was also informed and supportive comment in the media, urging greater appreciation of and support for our athletes in Athens and acknowledging the significant progress that has been made in a short time. We acknowledge there is a need to continue the development of a well structured and resourced high-performance system. Irish sport is seeking to succeed quickly in an increasingly competitive and intensely focused sporting world where very large investments are being made by other countries to gain success.
Ireland continues to accelerate its programme of delivery to targeted Olympic sports and is committed to competing at the highest level. We should not lose sight, however, of the requirement to take a long-term approach to athlete support and that equivalent nations continue to raise the bar on both funding and expertise. It is felt that the framework for success in the future is in place and that Irish athletes will continue to compete effectively at the highest levels.
