An increase to €27 million in high performance funding in the first year of the new Olympic cycle is the headline amount highlighted by Sport Ireland, although there is still some moving and shaking to be done before final figures are realised. Up €2 million on the last of the Paris cycle amount, in all 16 National Governing Bodies (NGB’s) will benefit from high-performance programme funding worth €12.7m this year as they turn their attention towards Los Angeles in 2028, with another €4.85m announced in direct athlete support, including €3.8m under the international carding scheme. The 16 NGB’s are down three on the 19 who benefited in the Paris four-year cycle, and the international carding amount is also reduced slightly, with 129 athletes plus 11 relays/pool funding named across 15 sports, with 29 athletes receiving the maximum podium amount of €40,000/€30,000, compared to 33 last year. These still include boxer Kellie Harrington, who defended her Olympic title in Paris and declared that her last competitive bout, but has yet to formally announce her retirement to Sport Ireland. Thus, Harrington remains on €40,000, Sport Ireland acknowledging that formal announcement is pending, after which she will still be entitled to 50 per cent of the allocation under the athlete career transition programme (ACT). Several other athletes are set to move up a grade, given these amounts were signed off weeks several weeks ago: boxer Aoife O’Rourke is also on podium funding of €40,000, having also qualified for Paris, her sister Lisa not yet listed even though she also won a silver medal at the World Boxing Championships earlier this month. In athletics, five athletes are now on podium amounts, including Sharlene Mawdsley and Sophie Becker, both rewarded on the back of their contribution to the relay medal successes last summer, while Kate O’Connor and Sarah Healy are on world-class amounts of €25,000. Given O’Connor’s medal double this month, bronze at the European Indoors and then silver at the World Indoors, she’ll also move to the podium class, and the expectation is Healy will too. Rowing Ireland again tops the overall high-performance investment with €1.1m for 2025, and is joined at the top by Swim Ireland, also on €1.1m. However Rowing Ireland’s full four-year cycle amount is not yet agreed as they still have to appoint a new high performance director, and a four-year plan has also to be agreed with the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, who are on €1.05m. Athletics Ireland has also increased its amount from €841,666 to €1.05m, with Paralympics Ireland getting €1m, again for one-year only, as para swimming and athletes are currently transitioning to Swim Ireland and Athletics Ireland respectively. Last year, Rowing Ireland had 16 athletes on top-tier podium funding, that reduced to nine this year, including Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney and Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen, who each received a special “one-off” podium amount of €30,000, agreed between Rowing Ireland and Sport Ireland, in recognition of them making their Olympic final in Paris. Speaking at the announcement in Trinity College, Sport Ireland high performance committee chair Olive Loughnane said it wasn’t all about the money: “It’s not just the funding,” said Loughnane, the 2009 World Champion in the 20km walk. “It’s also the practical stuff. Such as access to the Institute of Sport, and all the support and back up. “Back when I was university in Galway, I didn’t even have anywhere to train. There was a track there, but I used to climb over the gate to get in. I’ve gone past the statute of limitations, but I was basically trespassing. “So I’ve been involved in Irish sport firstly as a recipient [of funding] from 2000 to 2012, and after retiring I took a role as a member of the high performance committee initially, and latterly as the chairperson. “I have seen first hand the different money makes, but if you want that sustained success, you also need that strong leadership and systematic approach. I’ve seen that system evolve, and it is driven very much by investment in people, and also in processes.” High Performance coaching support will increase also from €1.2m to €1.5m in 2025, with additional high performance operational funding going to the Olympic Federation of Ireland (€600,000) and Paralympics Ireland (€450,000). Six more NGB’s also received funding via the Performance Development Programme: Irish Judo Association (€200,000), Pentathlon Ireland (€150,000), Taekwondo Ireland (€75,000), Basketball Ireland (€200,000), Weightlifting Ireland (€50,000), Squash Ireland (€50,000) and Winter Sports (via OFI €50,000). High Performance Programme Funding – 2024/2025/2025-2028 Rowing Ireland €1,093,333/€1,100,000/One year only Swim Ireland €756,666/€1,100,000/€4,400,000 Athletics Ireland €841,666/€1,050,000/€4,200,000 Irish Athletic Boxing Association €965,000/€1,050,000/One year only Paralympics Ireland €1,000,000/€1,000,000/One year only Irish Sailing Association €800,000/€1,000,000/€4,000,000 Hockey Ireland €856,666/€950,000/€3,800,000 Horse Sport Ireland €803,333/€900,000/€3,600,000 Cycling Ireland €520,000/€725,000/€2,900,000 Gymnastics Ireland €506,666/€725,000/€2,900,000 Golf Ireland €516,666/€650,000/€2,600,000 IRFU €416,666/€600,000/€2,400,000 Cricket Ireland €333,333/€600,000/€2,400,000 Badminton Ireland €346,666/€500,000/€2,000,000 Canoeing Ireland €216,666/€475,000/€1,900,000 Triathlon Ireland €250,000/€280,000/€1,120,000 Total €10,223,327/€12,705,000/€38,220,000 International Carding Scheme 2025 Athletics Ireland Ciara Mageean Podium €40,000 Rhasidat Adeleke Podium €40,000 Sharlene Mawdsley Podium €40,000 Sophie Becker Podium €40,000 Christopher O’Donnell Podium €40,000 Sarah Lavin World Class €25,000 Sarah Healy World Class €25,000 Katherine O’Connor World Class €25,000 Mark English World Class €25,000 Andrew Coscoran International €18,000 Brian Fay International €18,000 Efrem Gidey International €18,000 Eric Favors International €18,000 Luke McCann International €18,000 Sophie O’Sullivan International €18,000 Nicola Tuthill International €18,000 Cathal Doyle International €18,000 Nicholas Griggs International €18,000 Fionnuala McCormack International €18,000 Hiko Haso International €18,000 Darragh McElhinney International €18,000 Israel Olatunde International €18,000 Mixed 4x400m Relay Relay/Pool €60,000 Women’s 4x400m Relay Relay/Pool €60,000 Total €645,000 Badminton Ireland Nhat Nguyen World Class €25,000 Rachael Darragh International €18,000 Joshua Magee International €18,000 Paul Reynolds International €18,000 Moya Ryan International €18,000 Total €97,000 Canoeing Ireland Liam Jegou World Class €25,000 Ronan Foley International €18,000 Alistair McCreery International €18,000 Jake Cochrane International €18,000 Noel Hendrick International €18,000 Madison Corcoran International €18,000 Total €97,000 Cycling Ireland Lara Gillespie Podium €40,000 Mia Griffin World Class €25,000 Erin Grace Creighton World Class €25,000 Cycling Ireland (Para) Josephine Healion Podium €40,000 Linda Kelly (Pilot) Podium €40,000 Katie-George Dunlevy Podium €40,000 Richael Timothy International €18,000 Christopher Burns International €18,000 Mitchell McLaughlin (Pilot) International €18,000 Damien Vereker International €18,000 Pilot & Pool Funding €40,000 Total €322,000 Gymnastics Ireland Rhys McClenaghan Podium €40,000 Adam Steele International €18,000 Dominick Cunningham International €18,000 Emma Slevin International €18,000 Halle Hilton International €18,000 Eamon Montgomery International €18,000 Pool Funding €80,000 Total €210,000 Irish Athletic Boxing Association Kellie Harrington Podium €40,000 Aoife O’Rourke Podium €40,000 Shannon Sweeney Podium €40,000 Jack Marley World Class €25,000 Niamh Fay World Class €25,000 Adam Hession International €18,000 Kelyn Cassidy International €18,000 Martin McDonagh International €18,000 Dean Clancy International €18,000 Daina Moorehouse International €18,000 Jennifer Lehane International €18,000 Gráinne Walsh International €18,000 Aidan Walsh International €18,000 Jude Gallagher International €18,000 Michaela Walsh International €18,000 Pool Funding €80,000 Total €430,000 Irish Clay Target Shooting Association Ian O’Sullivan International €18,000 Total €18,000 Irish Judo Association Joshua Green International €18,000 Rachael Hawkes International €18,000 Bearach Gleeson International €15,000 Total €51,000 Irish Sailing Association Finn Lynch Podium €40,000 Robert Dickson Podium €40,000 Sean Waddilove Podium €40,000 Eve McMahon International €18,000 Total €145,000 Paralympics Ireland Pool Funding €80,000 (Para Athletics) Orla Comerford Podium €40,000 Greta Streimikyte World Class €25,000 Shauna Bocquet International €18,000 Mary Fitzgerald International €18,000 Jordan Lee International €18,000 (Para Swimming) Roisin Ni Riain Podium €40,000 Barry McClements World Class €25,000 Dearbhaile Brady World Class €25,000 Deaten Registe International €18,000 Total €307,000 Rowing Ireland Paul O’Donovan Podium €40,000 Fintan McCarthy Podium €40,000 Philip Doyle Podium €40,000 Daire Lynch Podium €40,000 Fiona Murtagh Podium €40,000 Ross Corrigan Podium €30,000 * Nathan Timoney Podium €30,000 * Aoife Casey Podium €30,000 * Margaret Cremen Podium €30,000 * Zoe Hyde World Class €25,000 Alison Bergin World Class €25,000 Eimear Lambe World Class €25,000 Emily Hegarty World Class €25,000 Imogen Magner World Class €25,000 Natalie Long World Class €25,000 Brian Colsh International €18,000 Adam Murphy International €18,000 Konan Pazzaia International €18,000 Ciaran Purdy International €18,000 Donnacha Keeley International €18,000 Siobhán McCrohan International €18,000 (Para) Katie O’Brien International €18,000 Tiarnan O’Donnell International €18,000 Steven McGowan International €18,000 * One off podium funding of €30,000 in recognition of making Olympic final Total €632,000 Swim Ireland Daniel Wiffen Podium €40,000 Mona McSharry Podium €40,000 Ellen Walshe World Class €25,000 Danielle Hill World Class €20,000 Tom Fannon International €18,000 Shane Ryan International €18,000 Eoin Corby International €18,000 Charlotte Cullen International €18,000 Ellie McCartney International €18,000 John Shortt International €18,000 Darragh Greene International €18,000 Nathan Wiffen International €18,000 Jake Passmore International €18,000 Conor Ferguson International €18,000 Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay €100,000 Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Total €423,000 Table Tennis Ireland (Para) Colin Judge World Class €25,000 Total €25,000 Taekwondo Ireland Jack Woolley World Class €25,000 Programme Costs €15,000 Total €40,000 Triathlon Ireland James Edgar International €18,000 Triathlon Ireland (Para) Chloe MacCombe World Class €25,000 Catherine Sands (Pilot) World Class €25,000 Judith MacCombe World Class €25,000 (Para) Eimear Nicholls (Pilot) World Class €25,000 Tom Williamson World Class €25,000 Donnacha McCarthy International €15,000 Sean Husband (Pilot) International €15,000 Total €173,000