Sport Ireland provides funding to the organisation referred to by the Deputy to support the operation of its high performance programme. There are two streams of funding allocated by Sport Ireland which are central to the delivery of the organisation's programme including High Performance Programme Funding and the International Carding Scheme.
High Performance Programme Funding is provided to support a range of activities including salaries, training camps and competitions at junior and senior level, pathway development, and performance services. In 2020, the organisation received €440,000 in High Performance Programme Funding.
The International Carding Scheme provides financial support to athletes for their training and competition programmes. The primary purpose of this funding is to support Irish athletes in reaching finals and achieving medals at European, World, Olympic and Paralympic level.
The International Carding Scheme is criteria based requiring athletes to achieve standards set forth by their NGB in agreement with Sport Ireland. These standards are based on performances achieved at international competitions. Athletes are considered and approved for funding by Sport Ireland based on applications received from the organisation. As part of the International Carding Scheme Sport Ireland allocated €426,000 to the organisation, which was made up of €224,000 for their Olympic Programme and €202,000 for their Paralympic Programme.
Further to those listed on the International Carding Scheme, Sport Ireland recognises that there will be other athletes who will require support from the NGB, specifically those who are tracking to compete in Paris 2024. Sport Ireland has recently engaged with the organisation who have confirmed their intention to establish an alternative mechanism of support for these athletes which may include service provision, training camp and competition exposure, or direct athlete funding through alternative resources. The organisation will be responsible for developing this mechanism of support recognising it must be sport specific and reflective of the capacity within the NGB.
In 2021 the organisation is projecting an expenditure of €583,500 on International Competitions, Training Camps and Support Services for all athletes (Senior, Junior, Youth & U23). It is proposed to allocate 2/3 of this support to Senior Athletes with 1/3 allocated to Junior, Youth & U23. This is broadly consistent with what was planned for 2020 notwithstanding the disruption caused by COVID-19.
