Sailing in Ireland is set to benefit from an “unprecedented” €85 million funding package for the sports sector.
Sport Ireland chairman Kieran Mulvey said the announcement — made today (Monday 2 November) by Sport Minister Catherine Martin and Minute of State for Sport Jack Chambers — represents “the largest ever investment package for sport”.
It follows a €70 million package approved over the summer as the Government aims to address some of the extended challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
John Treacy, chief executive of Sport Ireland, said: “The initial schemes announced in June were designed to support organisations with Covid-19-related losses in 2020.
“However, having engaged with our funded bodies, we understand that the current Level 5 restrictions present additional challenges.
“As such, we are ring-fencing finances to address any immediate needs that may arise in the sector in the coming weeks.”
Among the allocations to national governing bodies, Irish Sailing will receive €650,000, while Rowing Ireland gets €149,000, €70,000 goes to the Irish Underwater Council, €50,000 to the Irish Surfing Association and €48,000 to Canoeing Ireland.
The Olympic Federation of Ireland has welcomed the funding “which will provide much needed support for a wide variety of Olympic sports, many of which have been severely impacted by Covid-19”.
It adds that the package will also “provide some stability to protect performance programmes for those elite athletes currently preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo next year”.