Boxing was the main winner in this year's Irish Sports Council (ISC) carding scheme allocations. The most successful Irish Olympic sport had five athletes on the maximum €40,000 Podium award with all four medal winners at London 2012, Katie Taylor, John Joe Nevin, Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes picking up the top grant as well as European light heavyweight champion Joe ward.
The overall total for the Carding Scheme was down from €2.34 million in 2012 to €1.7 million this year, which is a decrease of around €600,000 available to be disbursed among the athletes.
In athletics, Derval O’Rourke is placed in the third International category of awards of just €12,000, while Ken Egan, the Beijing Olympic silver medallist also receives €12,000 despite the fact he announced his retirement from competitive boxing when he was beaten by Ward in the Elite national Senior Championships this year.
Overall the budget to sport has slipped by 2.9 per cent from last year, which has been a regular trend over the past number of years as the country struggles with recession. The Carding scheme is also in transition as the ISC seek to empower national Governing Bosies of sport to play a larger role in the disbursement of money.
“”We are pushing more responsibility onto the governing bodies,” said ISC Chief Executive John Treacy. “WE are giving more money to the NGBs.”
Overall an investment package of €33 million was announced with €19.3 million going to the governing bodies, €5.1 million to local sports and €8.6 million to High Performance sports. Of the €19.3 million that goes to the governing bodies, a substantial chunk of €7.6 million will support the participation programmes of the GAA, FAI and IRFU.
Carding Allocations 2013
Athletics Ireland
€40,000 (Podium)
Robert Heffernan
€20,000 (World Class)
Ciaran O'Lionard
Deirdre Ryan
Fionnuala Britton
€12,000 (International)
Brendan Boyce
Victoria Pena
Derval O'Rourke
Linda Byrne
Mark Kenneally
Brian Gregan
Laura Reynolds
Ava Hutchinson
Caitriona Jennings
Jessie Barr
Badminton Ireland
€12,000
Chloe Magee
Scott Evans
Sam Magee
Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland
€12,000
Roberta Connolly
Padraic Moran
Irish Amateur Boxing Association
€40,000
Katie Taylor
Michael Conlan
Paddy Barnes
John Joe Nevin
Joe Ward
€20,000
Adam Nolan
Darren O'Neill
€12,000
Ceire Smith
Ken Egan
Conrad Cummings
Jason Quigley
Ross Hickey
Con Sheehan
David Oliver Joyce
John Joe Joyce
Irish Canoe Union
€20,000
Hannah Craig
Andrzej Jezierski
Ciaran Heurteau
Eoin Rheinisch
€12,000
Barry Watkins
Irish Clay Pigeon Shooting Association
€12,000
Derek Burnett
Cycling Ireland
€40,000
James Brown
Colin Lynch
Mark Rohan
Catherine Walsh
€20,000
Andrew Fitzgerald
Katie George Dunlevy
Martyn Irvine
Enda Smyth
Caroline Ryan
€12,000
Eoin Mullen
Irish Judo Association
€12,000
Lisa Kearney
Paralympic Athletics Ireland
€40,000
Orla Barry
Michael McKillop
Jason Smyth
Catherine O'Neill
€12,000
Heather Jameson
Ailish Dunne
Paralympic Swimming Ireland
€40,000
Darragh McDonald
Bethany Firth
€12,000
Ellen Keane
Jonathan McGrath
Laurence McGivern
James Scully
Pentathlon Ireland
€20,000
Natalya Coyle
€12,000
Arthur Lanigan O'Keeffe
Eanna Bailey
Rowing Ireland
€20,000
Sanita Puspure
€12,000
Claire Lambe
Irish Sailing Association
€40,000
Peter O'Leary
Annalise Murphy
€20,000
Ryan Seaton
Matthew McGovern
€12,000
James Espey
Scott Flanigan
John Twomey
Ian Costelloe
Swim Ireland
€20,000
Sycerika McMahon
€12,000
Barry Murphy
Grainne Murphy
Christopher Bryan
Fiona Doyle
IWA Sport
€12,000
Rena McCarron
Philip Quinlan
Triathlon Ireland
€20,000
Aileen Reid
€12,000
Bryan Keane
Gavin Noble
