Kellie Harrington remains on €40,000 podium funding as some Sport Ireland investment figures yet to be realised

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).

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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

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